Feline
by Cheesypriestess
Summary: Her pain was indescribable. Her surprise, unimaginable. But worst of all was the cat inside of her, the one that longed to take over.
1. Allegiances and ominous Prologue

**This isn't the first story I've written, but I do feel it is one of the best so far. I know other people have used the same idea, but I wanted to write my own story about a girl turning into a cat, so I did. Don't flame me, please; constructively criticize. Many of these names I found in a name guide on this site which is really good. It can be found by looking up 'warriors name guide.'**

**Allegiances **

**Shadowclan**

**Leader: Blackstar-**large white tom with huge jet-black paws

**Deputy: Russetfur-**dark ginger she-cat

**Medicine Cat: Littlecloud-**very small tabby tom

_Apprentice, Gingerpaw_

** Warriors:**

**Oakfur-**small brown tom

**Kinktail-**a plain brown tom with unmanageable fur and great weirdness. _(taken)_

_Apprentice, Duckpaw_

**Marshstep-**Kinktail's rather more elegant brother. Brown. _(taken)_

**Orchidheart-**a dark dreamer with beautiful eyes.

**Emberstorm-**quiet black tom. _(taken)_

**Rowanclaw-**ginger tom. _(taken)_**  
><strong>

**Cobrafang-**ferocious sandy tabby she-cat with vivid black stripes. Hornetstrike's sister.

**Oliveleaf-**black and white tom, green eyes (abandoned by his mother and named after his eyes had changed) _(taken)_

**Shadeclaw-**dark gray tabby tom with yellow eyes.

**Lizardtail-**a light, bright yellow tabby tom with yellow-green eyes. _(in love)_

**Applenose-**pretty light brown tabby with black patches. Daughter of Hornetstrike and Kinktail.

**Sootywings-**fast, pitch-black tom. _(taken)_

_Apprentice, Swanpaw_

**Ebonystreak-**a very dark tabby she-cat who is sarcastic but friendly. Senior warrior.

_Apprentice, Brownpaw_

**Smokefoot**-large black tom. Stern and strict but friendly—usually.

_Apprentice, Owlpaw_**  
><strong>

**Snowbird-**pure white she-cat. Expecting Marshstep's kits. (Icykit, Frostkit, Snowkit)

_Apprentice, Ivypaw_**  
><strong>

**Apprentices:**

**Ivypaw-**a dark, red-golden brown tabby with a few splashy white markings (Oliveleaf, Lilyfur)

**Swanpaw**-a pretty white she-cat with a black mark on her face, like the swan her mother saw while kitting. (Blackstar and dead queen)

**Brownpaw-**a strong brown tom who is a natural leader (Kinktail, Hornetstrike)

**Owlpaw-**a mottled gray, black and white tom with bright amber eyes (Dappledblossom, Emberstorm)

**Duckpaw**-a clumsy and well-meaning pale gray tom (Dappledblossom, Emberstorm)

**Gingerpaw**-ginger, white spots, black speckles. (Oliveleaf, Lilyfur)

** Queens:**

**Tawnypelt**-tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes. Rowanclaw's mate.

**Milkwhisker-**a creamy, amber-eyed and gentle queen who never really wanted to be a warrior. Sootywings's mate. Kits: Larkkit, Juniperkit, Creamkit

**Hornetstrike-**a dull-gold she-cat who is fiercely protective of her kits and always willing to take in misfits. Kinktail's mate.

**Lilyfur-**youngish tortoiseshell. Oliveleaf's mate. Kits: Mintkit, Mosskit, Mallowkit, Morningkit, Maplekit, Moonkit.

**Dappledblossom-**gray and white, mottled she cat. Emberstorm's mate. Kits: Nettlekit, Harekit,

** Elders:**

**Cedarheart- **dark gray tom**  
><strong>

**Tallpoppy-**long-legged light brown tabby she-cat.

**Windclan**

**Leader: Onestar—**brown tabby tom.

**Deputy: Ashfoot—**gray she-cat.

**Medicine cat: Barkface—**short-tailed brown tom.

_Apprentice, Kestrelpaw_

**Warriors:**

**Tornear—**tabby tom.

_Apprenitce, Harepaw_

**Crowfeather—**dark gray tom.

_Apprentice, Heatherpaw_

**Owlwhisker—**light brown tabby tom.

**Whitetail—**small white she-cat.

_Apprentice, Breezepaw_

**Nightcloud—**black she-cat.

**Raggedwhisker—**salt and pepper gray-ish tom. Senior warrior

_Apprentice, Prairiepaw_

**Redwing—**elegant dark red she-cat with brilliant amber eyes.

_Apprentice, Heathpaw_

**Weaselfur—**ginger tom with white paws.

**Apprentices**

**Harepaw—**brown tabby tom.

**Heatherpaw—**brown-gray she-cat with blue eyes.

**Breezepaw—**moody black tom.

**Heathpaw—**dark brown tom.

**Prairiepaw—**energetic silver tabby she-cat.

**Queens:**

**Rustlestep**—silvery-grey tabby. Calm, cool, and collected. Kits: Eaglekit, Hawkkit, Ravenkit.

**Silversmoke—**pretty silver she-cat. Kits: Sedgekit, Smokekit.

**Elders:**

**Morningflower-**very old tortoiseshell queen.

**Webfoot-**dark gray tabby tom.

**Riverclan**

**Leader: Leopardstar—**unusually spotted golden tabby she-cat.

**Deputy: Mistyfoot—**gray she-cat with blue eyes.

**Medicine cat: Mothwing—**dappled golden she-cat.

_Apprentice, Willowpaw_

**Warriors:**

**Blackclaw—**smoky black tom.

_Apprentice, Dapplepaw_

**Voletooth—**small brown tabby tom.

_Apprentice, Minnowpaw_

**Reedwhisker—**black tom.

_Apprentice, Pouncepaw_

**Mosspelt—**tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes.

_Apprentice, Pebblepaw_

**Beechfur—**light brown tom.

_Apprentice, Brookpaw_

**Rippletail—**dark gray tabby tom.

**Apprentices:**

**Dapplepaw—**silver-grey tabby she-cat with watery, wavy stripes.

**Minnowpaw—**small brown she-cat speckled with caramel and black.

**Pouncepaw—**playful black tom.

**Pebblepaw—**gray tom with blue eyes.

**Brookpaw—**blue-silver she-cat with oddly dark eyes.

**Queens:**

**Dawnflower—**pale gray she-cat.

**Salmonleap—**pale ginger she-cat. Kits: Otterkit, Streamkit, Greykit.

**Elders:**

**Heavystep—**thickset tabby tom.

**Swallowtail—**dark tabby she-cat.

**Stonestream—**gray tom.

**Thunderclan**

**Leader: Firestar—**handsome ginger tom.

**Deputy: Brambleclaw—**dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes.

**Medicine cat: Leafpool—**light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes.

**Warriors:**

**Dustpelt—**dark brown tabby tom.

_Apprentice, Fernpaw_

**Sandstorm—**pale ginger she-cat.

_Apprentice, Honeypaw_

**Cloudtail—**long-haired white tom.

_Apprentice, Cinderpaw_

**Brackenfur—**golden brown tabby tom.

**Thornclaw—**golden brown tabby tom.

_Apprentice, Poppypaw_

**Brightheart—**white she-cat with ginger patches.

**Ashfur—**pale gray (with darker flecks) tom, blue eyes.

**Sorreltail—**tortoiseshell and white she-cat with amber eyes.

**Spiderleg—**long-limbed black tom with brown underbelly and amber eyes.

_Apprentice, Mousepaw_

**Brook Where Small Fish Swim (Brook)—**brown tabby she-cat with gray eyes, formerly of the Tribe of Rushing Water.

**Stormfur—**dark gray tom with amber eyes, formerly of Riverclan.

**Whitewing—**white she-cat with green eyes.

**Birchfall—**light brown tabby tom.

**Apprentices**

**Berrypaw—**cream colored tom.

**Hazelpaw**—small gray and white she-cat.

**Mousepaw**-gray and white tom.

Cinderpaw—gray tabby she-cat.

**Honeypaw**—light brown tabby she-cat.

**Poppypaw—**tortoiseshell she-cat.

**Queens:**

**Ferncloud—**pale gray (with darker flecks) she-cat, green eyes, mother of Dustpelt's kits: Icekit and Foxkit.

**Daisy—**cream-colored, long-furred cat from the horseplace.

**Squirrelflight-**dark ginger she-cat with green eyes, mother of Brambleclaw's kits: Lionkit, Hollykit, and Jaykit.

**Elders:**

**Longtail—**pale tabby tom with black stripes, retired early due to failing sight.

**Mousefur—**small dusky brown she-cat.

**Cats Outside of Clans**

**Puss-in-Boots-**orange tabby tom.

* * *

><p><em>Prologue<em>

_Blackness surrounded him, like a thick, smothering blanket._

_He had been defeated, humiliated, shamed...and trapped in this darkness, this cage._

_This prison._

_It had been long ago...so long ago...but his wounded pride and lust for vengeance had only grown with time._

_A beast created from darkness, nightmares, crept through the silence and dark that surrounded him with growing anger. His prison was closed, shut off from the rest of the world by an enormous boulder. The beast snarled in anger. They thought they could imprison him, and he would not try to escape, that he would not grow stronger over time, instead of weaker._

_They were about to be proved wrong._

_Bracing his shoulder against the stone, the beast began to push with his hind legs, straining to escape._

_The boulder shifted._

* * *

><p><strong>Someone very kindly informed me that having only a list of characters as a chapter was against the rules, and requested that I remove the Allegiances. Instead of just doing as they asked, I decided to write an ominous prologue to include in the chapter! Yay me for not breaking the rules!<strong>


	2. Away, away, dance with the pine needles

**I'm afraid this chapter is kinda short. However, it is an absolute fact that they get longer. I wasn't planning to update again so soon, but getting two reviews so fast was encouraging. :) Thanks to Ambercloud of SkyClan and SilverWolf716, and cookies for both of you! I'm starting at about the same time as Power of Three, in _The Sight._**

* * *

><p>Kathy sighed and gently, if somewhat boredly, stroked her ginger cat, Boots. Puss-in-Boots. Puss was his special name.<p>

Kathy looked down at the book she had been trying to read, and the bright orange cat on the cover. The slim, dark-haired girl loved cats, but somehow this book didn't grab her, or maybe it was just that the May night grabbed her more. The pine forest trees seemed far more enchanting than Warriors just then.

She would have done well to continue reading. The fifteen-year-old did not realize what awaited her.

"Come on, Puss. Let's visit the forest," she cooed to her little kitty, setting him down on the ground. Kathy brushed off the fur on her clothes and hurried over to the gate, _her_ boots crunching on the gravel while the orange cat's paws made no sound. Boots was a young cat, a kitten really, but the way he flirted, Kathy suspected scores of ginger kittens to start showing up in a year or two.

Laughing as her ginger shadow followed her out of the garden, Kathy scooped her Puss up again and ran into the forest. Even after she set him down, Puss-in-Boots stayed close to her, though he frolicked as much as she did.

At last, after playing with her cat until the point of exhaustion, Kathy fell flat on her back and gazed at the stars. She didn't even notice the circle of mushrooms that surrounded her. Puss crawled onto her chest and fell asleep to the soothing rhythm of Kathy's heart.

* * *

><p><em>He was in a silvery sky, surrounded by stars and lighter than air. Beneath his paws he saw the forest, and the river and moors. They all surrounded the lake. Kathy had taken him to the lake. She had swam there, and he had tried it too. He caught a fish.<em>

"_Puss-in-Boots?"_

_The ginger tom's head snapped around. A small, starry black, female cat was sitting before him._

"_Yep. What is this place?"_

_Far off he saw a pair of cats—blue-eyed blue-silver and amber-eyed brown—on a wisp of cloud. They were purring and whispering to each other._

"_Boots, I need you to stay close to your twoleg. She will need you more than ever after the change."_

"_What change? Why?" demanded Puss, less distracted by his surroundings. The black cat sighed._

"_I do not know. Whoever or whatever has brought this about is unknown to us. But one thing I am sure of: this change will alter her very essence. You must find Shadowclan, from whence I came. There are many cats there. We love the night and embrace darkness, the half-light of the moon, yet the other clans shun us for our Gothic ways, and call us evil, and proud. Perhaps we _are_ too proud, but you must help us prove our innocence in this crime. Teach them the beauty of the dark, the music of the night."_

"_I still don't understand! What crime? What are the clans? Who's 'us'?"_

"_Farewell, Boots, and good luck..."_

* * *

><p>Puss opened his amber eyes. Only a vague echo remained of the urgency in the vision. He looked up at the sky, wondering if he could now see the place that existed there, but it was the same as before his dream. Kathy was asleep now too. The tom stretched and stepped off of his human onto the springy grass.<p>

A scream of pain suddenly echoed through the forest.


	3. Wha—? Aaah!

**And here it is. Chapter two.**

* * *

><p>Kathy had never felt such unimaginable pain. Her very bones seemed to be changing shape and placement. She was being compressed into a tiny space, pulled apart till she snapped. Kathy thrashed back and forth as her body changed. Her knees didn't even bend right anymore, and her fingers were all wrong.<p>

_What is this?_ she wondered as her form contorted in the most excruciating way imaginable. At long last, the pain stopped, but not before every _cell_ in her body was changed. Not even her eyes felt the same, and her ears were completely different...

Kathy could feel something rough swiping at her forehead. She opened her eyes. Puss was in front of her, about ten times his usual size. He looked different—not the cat himself, but the way she saw him. Her focus was sharper. The shadows seemed more distinct, though lighter. Her senses of smell and hearing were also sharper. She could hear his rough tongue grooming her head, could taste Puss's musky scent tainted by something acrid and familiar. Kathy then looked at herself with feelings of great misgiving. What she saw stunned her. She knew she had changed, but _this_—! Patchy, soft black and white fur covered her and she had a tail—and paws and—holy mackerel!

She was a cat!

Kathy scrambled to her feet, trying to look everywhere at once.

"What happened, Puss?" she mewed, scared by the sudden change, yet not even thinking of _not_ speaking to her cat like a normal person. "Who—who did this to me? Why me? Oh Puss, why _me_?"

Her cat companion rested his head on hers comfortingly.

"I don't know, but it'll be alright, Kathy. I had a dream before—well, before. I was in the sky, and a star entwined she-cat told me that we need to find Shadowclan, and prove their innocence."

The smaller black-and-white cat sighed. She seemed to perk up as she remembered something.

"Is this where you teach me how to wash or demand a pair of boots, Puss?" she mewed with a purr. The ginger tom laughed as well; Kathy had often read _Jenny_ aloud to him and he had understood most of it, she thought. It was one of her favorite books, and her cat's name was her favorite fairytale, closely seconded by _The White _Cat. But her brief happiness was short-lived.

"Puss, some thing's bothering me...The name 'Shadowclan' seems familiar, and I think I know it from somewhere, a little bit. Maybe—I don't know...maybe—"

"Intruders!"

The two cats froze. They moved closer and Kathy gazed at the strange cat with fear. She was white, and her amber eyes were cold, though not entirely hostile. Kathy's hackles rose, as she found herself being threatened by the other cats beginning to surround her. She forced herself to be calm.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you go back to your twolegs, away from Shadowclan territory?" inquired the first cat. Puss made a show of being greatly offended, just the way he used to when Kathy made him get off the dining table.

"I assure you, we have left our days with...twolegs? behind. We wish to join Shadowclan. This is Kathy and I am Boots."

The cats seemed surprised at this, as well as Puss's composure at their appearance, and murmured among themselves quietly for a time. Now that she noticed, he was oddly calm, for someone who had just witnessed their human transforming into a cat.

"If that be the case, you ought to see Blackstar," replied the white cat. And then, her face softening slightly, she added, "I am Snowbird."

Kathy and Puss followed Snowbird through the pine trees. The other three cats walked in a tight circle around them. It felt so strange to walk on her new paws. She didn't really know how to jump, either, but luckily nothing of that sort was necessary. It was a long walk to their destination, though. Kathy rounded a stony bend and stopped short—the hollow was that well-hidden. It was a large, pretty hollow, with many tree sheltered spots where small clowders of cats were eating and grooming and some were even sparring. The roof was composed of tree branches, woven together over the years. _It's like a big shelter with lots of little cat houses,_ thought Kathy, her eyes wide.

Puss nudged her to remind her that they were still intruders and Snowbird was waiting with an amused look on her face. Kathy hurried after her into a deep overhang shadowed by a tree that was just barely still a sapling. Inside the cool, dark cave a white cat was staring at his half-finished mouse absentmindedly. Kathy would've been disgusted, but the mouse smelled good, and she didn't mind stuff like that _very_ much. The cat looked up, his face quickly forming a mask of calm, collected arrogance and pride.

"Yes, Snowbird?"

"These cats were found on our territory just now, Blackstar. They want to join us," meowed Snowbird quickly, causing Kathy to think that she had rehearsed her statement in her head. _Or maybe she just can think of stuff. Some people know what to say without thinking so much._

"I see. Kittypets. Well... What are your names?"

Puss dipped his head, and Kathy hastily followed suit.

"I am Boots, and this is Kathy. The truth is...I had a dream last night. I was in the clouds, and a beautiful she-cat of the inkiest black, her fur lit but not lightened by stars, spoke to me. She told me to join your clan."

The white tom's eyes widened, and he stood gracefully. Kathy Stared at Boots. _Has he always been that eloquent?_

"I will consult with my medicine cat. Littlecloud!"

The tabby that entered the shade of the sapling was tiny, even by pet standards. He dipped his head to the Blackstar.

"You called?"

"Yes. If you would come closer, Littlecloud..."

The two cats, one larger than average and one decidedly not, huddled together and hissed to each other for some time. Kathy became bored and began to look around Blackstar's shelter. The young tree's shade, added to that of the overhead trees ensured that the elements would be hard-pressed to get the occupant wet. The back wall of the white cats little house consisted of an old tree, while any gaps were filled by sweet-smelling bushes.

Blackstar turned to face Kathy and Puss once more.

"Littlecloud believes your story; I will allow you to stay. Russetfur!"

A slightly petite dark coppery-colored cat entered. "Russetfur, please take these newcomers to the empty den so they can rest and eat before the naming ceremony. They will officially join Shadowclan at sunset. Oh, and see what can be done about the smell, would you?"

He was answered only by a dip of the head. As they left, Kathy could hear Blackstar asking Snowbird if she knew she would move into the nursery.

_Nursery? But that means..then she's...Snowbird's pregnant!_ realized Kathy, the small part of her mind not focused on this fact wondering why they had a nursery. She glanced back with more ease then she was used to (lower shoulders) and noticed the almost imperceptible outward curve of the white cat's belly.

"You can rest here. One of the apprentices will bring you something and at dusk you will be named," meowed Russetfur briskly. She immediately padded out again, leaving them alone. Puss slept almost immediately, but Kathy took a little longer. Where had she heard all this before?

* * *

><p>Swanpaw could smell them as soon as she rounded the bend into camp. Kittypets! The mostly white she-cat had nothing against them, really, though she didn't understand why they didn't live like clan cats, free from twoleg restraints, but they did stink. Swanpaw glanced over to the once-empty spare den and saw two huddled forms, their sides rising and falling surely. Whatever. Let her father do what he liked. She trotted to the fresh-kill pile and deposited her shrews, chose a mouse and padded to the large hollow tree the apprentices slept in. They never ate inside the tree, since the bedding might get soiled and the last thing they needed was more chores, but they liked to stay close to it.<p>

Swanpaw ripped into her mouse with relish. _Why would anycat eat the rabbit droppings twolegs feed them?_ she wondered, her mind still on kittypets.

"Swanpaw, you're back!"

The white apprentice turned to her friend with a smile.

"Of course I'm back. Unlike you, I don't take forever while I'm hunting. Do you know anything about the kittypets, Duckpaw?"

The gray apprentice shrugged. "I saw them coming in to camp. It's a she-cat and a tom. Both are about our age, I think."

"Swanpaw, we'll start battle-training at sun-high," meowed Sootywings, her mentor. She dipped her head respectfully and turned back to her already-forgotten mouse. She gulped it down in a few bites, and beckoned Duckpaw towards the nursery.

"Come on, let's go see Lilyfur's kits!" Swanpaw exclaimed, with a glance at the sun. _Still time until sun-high_. She raced over to the sheltering pine tree that concealed the nursery. Most of their dens were either in or sheltered by the trees. It was convenient.

"Swanpaw! Back again? Lilyfur, Swanpaw and Duckpaw are back again!"

"Hello, Milkwhisker," meowed Swanpaw politely. "How are your kits?"

The pale queen purred. "Well. Very well. Larkkit, Creamkit and and Juniperkit are thriving," she replied with a fond glance toward the dark cream tabbies. Duckpaw examined them closely. Unlike some toms, he was fascinated by kits—it was sometimes the queens that scared him, especially when Milkwhisker had claimed she wanted him as an apprentice and gave him a long lecture about the life of a queen. He _still_ bore the mental scars...

A tortoiseshell head rose sleepily.

"Hello," she meowed with a yawn, "Are you back already? They're exactly the same as yesterday, you know."

Swanpaw purred as a reflex, but she was focused on the six, beautiful, healthy kits. Mintkit was a very pale silvery-gold, Mosskit was a brighter, gingery gold, Mallowkit was a cheery yellow, Morningkit was pale tortoiseshell, Maplekit was darkest gold, and Moonkit was ticked gray and yellow. They were only a few days old, but Swanpaw knew Lilyfur was probably already exhausted. Six kits! And all of them with 'meow' names. It was hard enough for queens to nurse four kits, let alone six. Of course, the elders _had_ told tales of the times of prosperity for Shadowclan, when seven or eight in a litter was nothing remarkable, but still.

"There's the future of the clan," mewed Duckpaw cheerfully.

"Mousey!" agreed Swanpaw.

"Hello, Milkwhisker, Lilyfur. How are you doing milkwise, you two? I have some more borage," meowed Littlecloud as he slipped inside the nursery's narrow entrance with ease. Swanpaw knew he was anxious about the big litter as well. Gingerpaw followed him, her mouth loaded with the milk-giving leaves. Lilyfur groaned.

"Not another dose? Have you been stuffing the mice too? I thought I tasted something funny the other day..."

"Lilyfur, you know we _never, ever,_ put borage in mice—only poppy seeds and honey."

The tortoiseshell queen looked at them skeptically for a moment, though her golden eyes danced.

"Well, _honey_ I can survive..."

"Maybe we ought to plant chamomile in here," commented Gingerpaw lightly. Littlecloud purred at what was clearly a private joke. A medicine cat joke.

"I have borage, bramble twigs, and poppy seeds," announced the orange apprentice. Littlecloud sighed, and Gingerpaw's face fell as she heard the soft sound.

"You forgot the caraway seeds for Snowbird."

"Snowbird is only a moon along, Littlecloud!" protested Gingerpaw. Lilyfur sighed and looked at her daughter critically.

"Did I raise you to be rude to your mentor? Run along now. You two also. I believe you have a training session to go to?"

Swanpaw and Duckpaw exchanged startled glances.

"It'll be almost sun-high by now!" exclaimed Duckpaw, his gray face stricken. The two apprentices raced off so that they would not have to face their mentors' wrath.

* * *

><p>Kathy awoke in a strange place, feeling strange, and in an unusual and normally impossible position for her. She stood, and as she remembered she sadly noticed that her first reflex was not to stand on two limbs anymore. She had transitioned from human to feline that quickly?<p>

Wait—her family! What were they thinking?

_They must be worried out of their pelts—skins,_ thought Kathy. She felt frantic at first, but she quickly realized she couldn't do anything, and how would she know the way back, anyway? And after she and Puss had joined the clan too. Kathy glanced over at the orange tabby fondly. If there was one silver lining to this storm cloud, it was being able to talk with Puss. He had been so helpful and kind...Kathy sighed and felt _very_ glad to have him with her.

She padded to the edge of the den and gazed out. The cats were moving around the clearing, like earlier, but there seemed to be new ones. Kathy couldn't tell very well; she hadn't particularly noticed any cat. She began to examine a few cats closely; she would do well to be able to tell her new companions apart, at least! She began to examine a brown male with strange fur, for starters. He was just outside the hollow trunk of one of the biggest trees in the hollow, speaking with a female who was fierce-looking and mustardy-yellow in color. Kathy strained her new ears in hopes of hearing their conversation.

"Really, Hornetstrike? You're sure? This is wonderful; our third litter! Do you have any idea how many?" the cat was meowing eagerly. The mustard 'Hornetstrike' nodded.

"I would hardly have told you if I wasn't sure, Kinktail. And no, I don't. I only just realized a sunrise or two ago on the dawn patrol, and I have to tell Littlecloud now," she replied, seeming irritated but rather pleased by the attention. She padded to another shelter and vanished inside. Kinktail suddenly began to groom furiously once his mate left.

Kathy inhaled deeply, trying to catch the brown cat's scent, so she could remember it. She couldn't quite manage it, but she heard Puss stir.

"'morning," she meowed to him. The orange tabby yawned sleepily.

"What time is it? By sunset we have to be ready for our joining thingy," he reminded her. Kathy licked her shoulder anxiously—strange how it felt so natural—and shrugged.

"The walls are blocking the sun; I can't tell," she replied. She focused her attention on the clowder of cats again.

"There's an awful lot of them," she meowed doubtfully. "How will we remember them all?"

"We'll manage. You go to that place where more housefolk than this are, and you're _fine_ then! Although, I have to admit, the time you took _me _there it was less than delightful."

"I know. You wouldn't stop yowling. Puss, those are people. I grew up as a hu—housefolk. These are cats, and I don't know how to act!"

The ginger cat padded over to his little black-and-white housefolk cat.

"How you did you act the first time you went to the new other place? You made friends there! You can make friends _here, _too, and you have me as a friend already. Don't worry. We have to free these cats from the lies and cruelty that they have been blamed for. Or that they will be blamed for. We _will_ do this Kathy," Puss meowed, determination in every inch of his being. Kathy relaxed.

"You're right. And we couldn't make it on our own anyway—well, maybe _you_ could." Kathy smiled. It felt strange to do so in cat form. Kathy had barely known cats _could_ smile. She was learning all sorts of things from this...this...adventure? _I suppose so. Nothing else to call it._

"Hello, newcomers," came a friendly meow. A small tabby entered. Behind him was an even smaller orange cat. She was carrying some weird but familiar plants.

"I am Littlecloud, medicine cat of Shadowclan. Blackstar has sent me to attempt to lessen the

two-leg scent. Please roll in this," he politely meowed while gesturing to several leaves the orange cat had placed on the ground.

Kathy sniffed them, and her lip curled.

"Blech! That's garlic!"

The tabby was surprised.

"You know herbs?" he questioned. Kathy stared at him blankly for a moment.

"No. I know some plants, though."

"Our people had a garden," explained Puss. He, too, sniffed the leaves, then rolled in them. Kathy wrinkled her nose, but followed suit, albeit somewhat reluctantly.

"Better. The twoleg smell will fade with time, but for now we have garlic and chamomile. Mud would work best, but on short notice... Also, it might be best if you groom yourselves thoroughly before the ceremony," meowed Littlecloud as the small girl-cat set down sweeter-smelling leaves. Kathy disliked the sickly-sweet chamomile as well, but if Twolegs were that bad...Kathy rolled in _them_ as well. Littlecloud than left with a dip of his head and a reminder of the time. It was almost sunset.

They soon heard a yowl from outside.

"Cats of Shadowclan, I come before you and our noble and proud warrior ancestors on the Great Tree to conduct an ancient ceremony. I have agreed to accept two cats into our clan. Boots, Kathy, come forward."

The two cats exchanged excited glances and strode out to meet the leader's summons.

"From this day, until you have proved your strength and loyalty, these cats shall be called Amberpaw and Poppypaw. Marshstep, you will mentor Amberpaw. Hopefully your courage and intelligence will rub off. Applenose, you will mentor Poppypaw. Teach her of your wisdom and compassion," meowed Blackstar, then disappearing into his cave. A light brown and black tabby approached Ka—Poppypaw.

_I have to remember to be Poppypaw, and not Kathy anymore,_ the cat reminded herself.

"Come on, Poppypaw. We'll explore the territory tomorrow, when it's light, but for tonight we'll work on night vision and hunting," meowed Applenose in a friendly way. Poppypaw was glad for the distraction since she knew she would not easily be able to sleep anyway. She caught a glimpse of Puss speaking with his...what was that word again?

Poppypaw couldn't quite remember. Whatever, his trainer. She quickly turned her attention back to Applenose, who led her out into the pine forest.

"Try to be as silent as you can, Poppypaw. Consider it as something that excites you, like a spying expedition. I always pretended that I was a cloud or the moon myself," meowed her...mentor?

_Yes, that's it,_ decided K—Poppypaw. She concentrated on complete silence as instructed, but without much success. Applenose sighed. "You don't get it, Poppypaw. Maybe you should try with closed eyes," she suggested. The apprentice blinked.

"How will I improve my night vision that way?" she protested.

"Do you think the only way to see at night is with your eyes? Bats don't use their eyes. Why should we rely on ours all the time?" the tabby replied. "I'm sorry, that came out harsh. What I meant was...well...it's so hard to explain. One must be in tune with the forest, one with the shadows...You must be made of darkness to be Shadowclan."

Poppypaw was not at all sure, but shut her eyes. Immediately, she seemed more aware of her surroundings. She could hear and smell the objects around her. The trees seemed clearer with her eyes shut than open. It seemed much easier to identify them. Poppypaw let out a breath, and Applenose sensed her reaction to her lack of sight.

"My mentor had me do that too, once, when I was having trouble like you," she admitted, "Ebonystreak is a sarcastic and argumentative she-cat, but she understood me, and I have grown genuinely fond of her. She is a credit to our clan."

_Our clan..._That sounded...pleasant.

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><p><strong>Blackstar likes to just call cats into his den within a moment's notice, doesn't he?<strong>


	4. Poppypaw of Shadowclan

**Yay for fast reviews! Thanks, Agymnast. I like Poppypaw's name too. Just randomly, at first I had Puss-in-boots's name as Sunpaw, but I think Amberpaw is better.**

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><p>Poppypaw awoke early the next morning, no longer forgetting where she was but reveling in the memory. Amberpaw had gotten in earlier than she had and had made her a nest. She made a mental note to thank him later, as he was already gone, and scrambled out of the large hollow tree. Seeing that Applenose was eating something that <em>Kathy<em> would've been disgusted by (Not Kathy, never Kathy; Poppypaw) she stood in front of the large den all cats-in-training shared uncertainly. Applenose obviously didn't plan to train until later, so what could Poppypaw do to kill time? Nervously, she seated herself and began grooming rapidly.

"Hi," greeted a friendly voice. Poppypaw looked up and saw the same apprentice that had followed Littlecloud with nary a word the previous day staring at her.

"Hi. You are...?" Poppypaw trailed off, embarrassed. The light orange cat only smiled, and replied, "Gingerpaw. Would you like me to show you around? It must be tough to suddenly be thrown into clan life, though I'm afraid I wouldn't know. This was your friend's idea, wasn't it?"

Poppypaw nodded hesitantly, wondering how she'd guessed.

"Come on," mewed her new friend. "First of all, you sleep in the apprentices' den. I'm an apprentice too, but I'm training to be a medicine cat, so I sleep in here, Littlecloud's den—he's our medicine cat, you know."

The small cat led her to a sheltered den that was half-way inside a hollow tree. Inside, Poppypaw could see two nests and lots of plants, dry and fresh. There were a few unused nests as well.

"It's nice in here," she meowed. The plants were neat and the den was airy, and well-kept. Gingerpaw smiled again.

"Thank you. I have to change the bedding and stuff, and I help with the herbs so it looks nice, but it would be nothing without Littlecloud. He's really nice and very knowledgeable. It's fun to learn from him. I don't think I could make out on my own yet, even though I've trained almost long enough. There's a lot to being a medicine cat, and it takes time to learn.

"But enough about me; let's go see Cedarheart and Tallpoppy!" exclaimed Gingerpaw, padding off again in a different direction. Poppypaw hurried after her into a small den shielded by a curtain of willowy vines.

"Hi! I brought one of the new apprentices to see you," mewed Gingerpaw politely. As Poppypaw's eyes adjusted from the glare, she saw the three cats. One was her age, and was cleaning out the nests of the two older ones. It was a lovely white she-cat (as Applenose would say) with a black mark like a Siamese's on her face, offsetting her blue eyes beautifully. Another, elderly she-cat had long legs and was a pale brown, and the tom was dark gray.

"Great. She can help me with this bedding," suggested the white she-cat. Gingerpaw shook her head.

"Not now, Swanpaw, I'm showing her around. She can learn about her duties later. Come on, Poppypaw, I haven't shown you the nursery yet!" meowed Gingerpaw, running out the entrance as quickly as she had come. Swanpaw smiled.

"She's a hyper one, for a medicine cat," meowed the long-legged tabby. Poppypaw nodded and trotted after her friend as she disappeared into another den. As Poppypaw slipped through the small entrance, she scented an odd, sweet smell. It reminded her of her babyhood, somehow. Several she-cats were nursing or sleeping. There didn't seem to much to do, but the kittens were really cute. There were a lot of them. Poppypaw took a quick head count. Eleven? Wow.

"—Nettlekit and Harekit are the oldest, about five moons so soon they will be apprenticed. The rest of us had better hurry up so that there will be more mentors, though. If worst comes to worst, the queens can help out and mentor each others' kits, but that is generally frowned upon because it does little to broaden their horizons. Mintkit, Mosskit, Mallowkit, Moonkit, Morningkit, and Maplekit are five days old, and Larkkit, Creamkit, and Juniperkit are three moons," meowed Gingerpaw, giving Poppypaw the impression that she had missed most of what the older apprentice had explained. _(Excerpt from Gingerpaw's speech: These are the kits who aren't old enough to be apprenticed. There are eleven of them and five queens, so the apprentice den might have to be enlarged soon—though of course, there are two that are older than the rest and you know, Ivypaw and I are older than you and everyone else, so it might work out because of the age difference. Shadowclan is enlarging quickly; there aren't much more than twelve warriors. I don't know what we'll do if one of them wants to be a medicine cat, since Littlecloud already has me and generally, cats can't take on two apprentices. There isn't enough time for two.—)_ The five queens were still sleepily yawning, and Poppypaw guessed they didn't understand (or care) either.

"Hello, Gingerpaw. Thank you for explaining everything to Poppypaw and showing her around. I am Dappledblossom. These are Tawnypelt, Milkwhisker, Lilyfur and Hornetstrike."

Poppypaw glanced at each of the queens as they were named, but her golden gaze lingered on Hornetstrike. _She's Kinktail's mate,_ thought Poppypaw. She didn't show yet, but cat pregnancies only lasted about three months, so she probably would soon. Although admittedly, Snowbird still just barely did, so maybe in a little longer...  
>Poppypaw snapped back to the present. Applenose was calling her! Excited for her second day of training, Poppypaw hastily bid Gingerpaw and the nursery queens goodbye before racing out to find her mentor. The splotchy tabby gazed at her disapprovingly before meowing, "I am very disappointed in you, Poppypaw. You..."—the apprentice cringed, "are about to learn some fighting moves! How was my my impersonation of a mean mentor?"<p>

Relieved, Poppypaw purred weakly. Applenose nudged her with her nose.

"Come on, I'd like to get to the fallen tree soon!" exclaimed she, racing around the bend that hid their camp. With a laugh, Poppypaw followed her mentor, shadowing the older she-cat closely. Before long they reached two distinctive fallen trees, one resting on the other. They provided a large, sheltered nook that the Shadowclan cats thought perfect for a training spot, especially with the ever-present soft pine needles underpaw.

"Hmm...what to show you first..."

Poppypaw watched her mentor toy with different ideas and finally settle on something.

"First we'll try different techniques. This is one for Thunderclan cats, always charging in blindly against us..."

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><p>Swanpaw blinked in surprise when she saw the new she-cat stumble into camp, obviously exhausted. Instead of ignoring her or pranking her, the white she-cat felt a tiny stir of sympathy. Who knew <em>Applenose<em> would work her so hard? Feeling an unusual flicker of shyness, she dragged a squirrel to where Poppypaw had plopped down by the apprentice tree.

"Hi. Do you want to share?" offered Swanpaw, earning a slightly startled look from the black and white cat.

"Okay...thanks."

It felt strange to share with another cat companionably, other than Duckpaw. Not in a strictly _bad_ way. Swanpaw didn't have any really close she-cat friends. _Maybe this is the time to change that..._she thought happily.

"Hey Poppypaw, can I talk to you?" meowed Amberpaw. Swanpaw looked up in surprise, and with an apologetic smile her companion rose, leaving the other she-cat to finish their squirrel by herself. Swanpaw watched them walked away to talk slightly sulkily. _What's so important that they can't talk in front of me?_ She wondered, ripping off a squirrel part to eat. Duckpaw trotted up to her.

"Hey, Swanpaw, do you think you could ask Sootywings to let you go on dawn patrol tomorrow? Kinktail's making me go!" complained her friend. The white apprentice purred.

"Sounds fun. I'll ask him now," meowed Swanpaw cheerfully, the new apprentices' strange behavior almost forgotten.


	5. Juniperkit, etc

**I'm sorry, I got confused with the chappie order and stuff. This is the actual fourth chapter. And for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, just ignore this Author's Note.**

**Seriously.**

**You can stop reading now.  
><strong>

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><p>Poppypaw and Amberpaw walked a little way out of camp. Curious, she wondered whatever it was he wanted to speak about. She was watching him intently, but hastily looked away when he turned and sat down.<p>

"How have you been doing?" he asked, his amber eyes concerned. Poppypaw shrugged.

"Fine. Thanks for making me a nest. Have you found out anything about your dream?"

The ginger tom shook his head.

"As far as I can tell, no one has accused them of anything. Maybe..." the other apprentice trailed off, and Poppypaw suspected he was worried they had been wrong in coming to Shadowclan. _It's weird...being able to talk to him makes me realize how much I don't know about him...and how much he knows about me._

"We could just wait. You never know when stuff like this will happen... Oh, look, mushrooms!"

Ignoring Amberpaw's eye-roll, she sniffed the fungi carefully. Their scent was strangely familiar; yet how could she recognize them then? Poppypaw puzzled over the mystery for a moment.

"Have you learned any fighting moves yet?" meowed Amberpaw, sounding much more like the cheerful cat she knew and loved.

"Yep. Applenose taught me most of the basic stuff, and she gave me tips on keeping my claws sharp and stuff. What did you learn?"

"How to fight a Thunderclan cat. Marshstep showed me some really hard moves that only Shadowclan cats are taught, like there's this one where you go like this, see, and then this, sort of..."

The two cats began practicing various attacks that they had been shown, sometimes laughing hysterically at each other's mistakes. However, both of them knew that ther games were only a distraction from the larger questions looming overhead.

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><p>As Poppypaw stiffly awoke the next morning, she remembered what Amberpaw had reminded her of the previous night. They still didn't know why or how she had been changed, either. <em>That doesn't matter right now. What happens, happens.<em>

She stretched, glorying in the day. _Another day of being a cat,_ she reminded herself, though somehow the thought took little toll on her. The other apprentices were for the most part still asleep, since dawn had yet to break, but the pines were calling to the apprentice, and she eagerly leapt for the ground. Ah, the convenience of a nest close to the exit! Poppypaw could come and go as she pleased without bothering the cats whose pelts her soft fur pressed against in sleep.

"Good morning, Poppypaw!" meowed Orchidheart, a kind black she-cat who was keeping watch. Poppypaw dipped her head in response, and slipped into the nursery, where the older kits were just waking up. One of three similar kits sleepily raised her head. She was patterned distinctly with black and ivory stripes, and her kittenish still-blue eyes shone.

"Hi!" the little one mewled. She tilted her head to one side as she studied Poppypaw. "You have pretty fur. Who are you?"

The apprentice smiled—but in a cat way, since they don't smile the same.

"I'm Poppypaw. What's your name?" she meowed, happy to speak with a kitten. She'd often seen kittens and played with them—Puss in particular—as a human, but never spoken to one.

"Juniperkit. These are my sisters, Larkkit and Creamkit!"

At the mention of their names, the two slumbering kits awoke as well. One was creamy and white, and the other was a darker cream tabby. The littlest, palest one's blue eyes lit up.

"Are you a visitor? Will you play with us? Who are you? Who's your mentor? How long have you been here? Am I prettier than Larkkit? Isn't my mommy awesome? Do you like honey?"

The constant questions swirled around Poppypaw in a never ending spiral.

"Merrowgh! No more questions! Yes, probably, and Poppypaw, but that's all I'm saying."

The kittens stared at her for a moment, and the black and white apprentice struggled to keep a stern expression on her face, but soon failed miserably, bursting into laughter.

"Sorry, Poppypaw. Can you take us around camp? Please?" begged the now (somewhat) contrite kittens. The apprentice purred.

"That sounds fun, but shouldn't we ask Milkwhisker first?" inquired Poppypaw doubtfully with a cautious glance at the sleeping queen. Larkkit flicked her little tail in a 'whatever' way.

"She probably won't mind, so long as we don't _leave_ camp without askin'!" declared Creamkit. "Poppypaw, will you show us the fresh-kill pile?"

The splotchy apprentice mock-sighed, but lead the way out of the nursery. The kits had doubtless been out in camp before, but they insisted 'our very _bewst_ new friend Poppypaw' showed them everything there was to be seen. They finally ended up in the elders' den, listening to Tallpoppy tell a story in exchange for the mouse they'd brought her.

"And as the fog swirled in, Sunfrost began to wish he had never seen the mysterious loner—"

"Poppypaw! Where are you?"

Hastily, the apprentice rose and bid her new friends good bye. She padded outside to her mentor quickly.

"Sorry. I got up early, and I met some of the kits. What are we doing today?"

"Going on dawn patrol. It's about time you learned a little more about our territory, and the other clans. And about the best moss gathering spots.

Poppypaw dipped her head in acknowledgment and sat down to wash. She'd soon discovered the washing felt very good. Relaxing. Cleansing. Even fun. So, she groomed, but not for long; the patrol was soon organized. Oakfur took the lead, and Oliveleaf, Cobrafang, Applenose, and Poppypaw followed. The brown tom set a fast pace, and Poppypaw found it difficult and tiring to keep up.

Before long, the wind blew a strange scent to them. Poppypaw opened her mouth like Applenose had taught her.

"I can smell other cats!" she announced to her mentor. Applenose nodded while running (something Poppypaw attempted later and found far more difficult than it looked) and meowed,

"Yes, that's Thunderclan. They're completely convinced we're evil savages who don't respect boundaries. We're taught to respect the warrior code, and you aren't _supposed_ to trespass, but they don't think so!"

As Applenose spoke, she gracefully slowed and joined the others in rubbing up against trees and the sparse bushes, leaving them strongly Shadowclan smelling. Poppypaw slid to a stop and hesitantly joined in. Before long they were off again, this time stopping frequently to mark things. By the time they reached the lake, Poppypaw's legs were aching but she said nothing, not wanting to appear weak. The lake was beautiful, silvery blue water lapping at the shores for what seemed, to her cat eyes, like miles. Kathy could clearly see the little island in the middle where her family had picnicked once. But that had been a long time ago, when she was five and her little brother was just a baby.

"Come on, have you got bees in your brain? We need to move on!" urged Applenose when her apprentice remained unmoving for a long moment. Poppypaw shook herself and followed her clanmates.

They soon came to Riverclan, where the cats swam. Poppypaw didn't find that very hard to believe, but Cobrafang shuddered slightly when she told the apprentice. They did have a distinct fishy smell though.

"Don't they ever eat anything else?" asked Poppypaw, wrinkling her nose.

"I'm afraid not, little one. They don't really know how to catch anything else," meowed Oliveleaf, a quiet black and white tom. Poppypaw sighed and followed Oakfur as he headed back to camp at last.**—**

Juniperkit was bored. She didn't _need_ a nap, much less want one, and all the apprentices were busy! Quietly, she slipped outside of the stuffy nursery. She wanted to play, not just sit around and sleep all day!

The kit darted inside of Littlecloud's den so that no one would see her. Unfortunately, she hadn't counted on someone else being inside the den.

"Juniperkit?"

Startled, the kit spun around to face Littlecloud.

"I—I didn't want to just stay in the nursery all day!" she protested as he gazed at her searchingly. Like the sun breaking through the clouds, the medicine cat smiled suddenly.

"All right. You can help me. I could use a little help finding some horsetail," he meowed, gesturing for her to follow him with a flick of his tail. Eagerly, the creamy tabby followed him, her black stripes flickering oddly in the dappled sunlight shining through the leaves.

Littlecloud confidently headed out of camp, towards the Thunderclan border. Juniperkit frolicked behind him, happy as a bird. She sniffed some blue berries, steered clear of red ones, and rolled in a patch of mint. When Littlecloud doubled back to find her—she'd wandered off from just following him—he examined it closely.

"I've never noticed this before. Good job, Juniperkit. Maybe we can find some of your namesake as well," he meowed, gathering a few leaves in his jaws. When the kit cocked her head to one side, he explained, "Juniper berries. You were named for them."

"Ohh. I see. That's mousey!"

Littlecloud shot her a questioning glance, but continued to where he knew abundant horsetail to be. It took little time to get there, as he didn't have to slow down for Juniperkit. The abundant plant swathed the trees near Thunderclan. A little even crossed the border, accessible to Leafpool. Unfortunately, thoughts of Leafpool soon became thoughts of..._Her._ Cinderpelt. The memory of her bright blue eyes tightened his throat, and he began nipping off horsetail rapidly, hearing Juniperkit follow suit.

When he knew they had all he could carry, he picked up the smaller pile the black and ivory kit had collected and headed back through the trees to the mint patch to get some for his small companion to carry. Not that he was much bigger, the medicine cat wryly noted. He wasn't as young as he once was, either.

"Littlecloud?" mewed Juniperkit with some difficulty around her mint stalks as they entered his den.

"Yes?" the tabby replied as he set down the horsetail and began sorting it.

"Thanks for letting me get stuff with you. It was really mousey!"

Slightly embarrassed, Juniperkit scampered off as soon as she had finished thanking him. Now _I'm ready for a nap..._


	6. Training

**And here is our fifth chapter. I'm hoping that you can understand all of it.**

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><p>Poppypaw sleeplessly awoke in the middle of her third night as a Shadowclan apprentice to gaze at the moon. <em>It looks like it'll be full tomorrow night!<em>

The stars, though faint, were also beautiful. The girl gazed at them sadly and wondered _why._ Why had all this happened? Why couldn't she feel the same fear during the day as she did now? It was so unfair! Sometimes she missed her family so much her li'l kitty heart hurt, and other times she felt as free as the wind, _glad_ to be a cat.

_'course, under normal circumstances, I _would_ be happy as a cat. But I need my family—or the fast-fading human girl inside of me does..._

Poppypaw soon dozed, and then slept deeply through the rest of the night. Amberpaw did not, though. He moved over beside her, and with a gentle lick on the head he watched over his human 'til sunrise.

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><p>Ivypaw hadn't slept well at <em>all<em>. This was strange, and hadn't happened for moons. She'd grown out of missing her mother, Lilyfur, at _seven_ moons, so why had she felt so lonely in that strange dream?

_I'm not myself today,_ the reddish apprentice mused. Sighing, she stepped over her companions, returning Amberpaw's nod, and jumped down the six tail-lengths to the ground. Maybe she could hunt a bit before Snowbird woke up.

The oldest apprentice raised her head to scent the air, her right ear swiveling back to the hollow in the pine tree that was the apprentice den as Owlpaw woke up. With only a quick glance behind her, Ivypaw stood and ran into the forest. The dark trunks flashed past for some time before her mind was truly on prey enough to slow down and begin stalking.

Above her, birds called, high in the safety of the branches. She could hear the trees creaking as they shifted and went about their imperceptible business. Below, tiny creatures burrowed through the dirt, helping the plants that _her_ prey lived on to grow. In front of her, a small pond was very still, until a frog moved near the edge, giving away his hiding place. Ivypaw shifted slightly and pounced on him speedily. _Thank you, Starclan. Dumb frog never knew what hit him,_ thought Ivypaw smugly. The tabby apprentice carried the fresh-kill over to a tree and scratched dirt over it before continuing further along the small, somewhat treeless patch, catching two mice and a rat before she returned for her frog. Jaws loaded with fresh-kill, Ivypaw trotted back to camp, her earlier thoughts forgotten. It was _very_ satisfying to see the expressions on her fellow clanmates' faces, but Blackstar was patrolling or something, so he couldn't see her catch. She still hadn't been training for six moons quite yet, but it was always good for the leader to see progress. Progress was something Ivypaw had made a lot of. _Hopefully enough to go to the gathering!_ she thought eagerly. The red and white tabby trotted into the medicine cats' den with high spirits and a frog, planning to consult Littlecloud or her sister, Gingerpaw about her restless sleep. Now she thought about it, it seemed that this might not be the only time that she had had strange dreams. Ivypaw shook herself and meowed, "Littlecloud? Gingerpaw?"

There was no answer, and the apprentice slipped inside quietly, wondering whether they were out or asleep. Pricking her ears, the young she-cat heard the subtle rise and fall of the two cats' chests, still deep in sleep. Ivypaw's golden eyes softened. _They must've gone to sleep late last night,_ she noted, setting down her frog and backing towards the entrance. Littlecloud stirred, and she crept out the exit silently without waking him or her sister.

Snowbird soon spotted her, and called her over to where she was waiting by the camp entrance.

"You did well this morning," she noted, pleased. Ivypaw dipped her head and tried to look modest. "Since you've done that, you can train with the younger apprentices at the fallen trees. I'll come with you, but you will mainly be sparring to teach _them._ Littlecloud said he might even bring Gingerpaw along; even she ought to know some basic moves."

As her mentor spoke, Ivypaw's eyes had slowly lit up. Now she positively beamed.

"Thank you, Snowbird. I'm glad you think I can teach them something. We'll still work on advanced feints later, right?"

"Of course. Have you eaten? No? You should. In a moon or two your training will be complete. You need to keep your strength up."

Ivypaw dipped her head once again and trotted over to the fresh-kill pile. Snowbird watched her go, and padded into the nursery. As the days went by she was increasingly aware of the tiny growing kits inside her, and she knew that as soon as Ivypaw was given a warrior name—or possibly before—she would have to move into the nursery and give up her duties for a time. It would be hard to live an expecting queen's life of leisure, but the white she-cat already loved her unborn kits and was willing to do anything for the three of them. Snowbird licked her belly a couple of times and entered the nursery for a brief chat with the five queens. Of all of them, Tawnypelt was perhaps most understanding; she too, expected kits soon, though originally a warrior. Dappledblossom planned to move out of the nursery soon, and she would give Snowbird her nest.

"Tawnypelt," meowed Snowbird, a small thought nagging at the corner of her mind, "Why did you choose to enter the nursery?"

At this the tabby queen became thoughtful. Finally she replied,

"I suppose it was because I was so tired of trying to be _Shadowclan._"

Snowbird nodded, knowing what the other she-cat meant, but not quite understanding it at first. _Well, she started out in Thunderclan. _They_ wear their hearts on their fur; we hide ours_.

"Snowbird! Are you coming to the fallen trees or not?" yowled Ebonystreak, clearly impatient. Snowbird purred, rose and padded outside. The apprentices were assembled, impatient and ready to go, as the she-cat had complained.

"All right, let's go," meowed the pretty white she-cat. Immediately, paws thudded against the cushioning pine needles as the apprentices raced to be first to get to the training trees. Eight mentors exchanged wry glances and started after the eager youngsters.

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><p>Poppypaw knew she couldn't really compete with the longer trained apprentices, but something in her blood made her try, and she held her own in the race. (She managed to keep up, at any rate)<p>

Paws kicked up sprays of dirt, eyes were narrowed against the speed of their flight, and ears were flattened. At that break-neck speed, they reached the training trees in a matter of minutes. No one could tell who won, exactly, but the few cats who led all insisted that they had reached the destination first. Thus, their mentors found them, squabbling over the winner. Even Gingerpaw ran with them, though she was closer to Poppypaw at the rear of the group due to the less active life of a medicine cat apprentice.

"That was mousey! I should get out and run more often!" whispered the older apprentice to Poppypaw. The splotchy apprentice didn't reply; she was still catching her breath. Applenose trotted over to her.

"Just watch for a while, okay? Most of the older apprentices have never fought in a real battle, but they do have good form, and some of them have very interesting styles. I should know—I was made a warrior shortly after Swanpaw, Duckpaw, Brownpaw, and Owlpaw were apprenticed," meowed the spotted tabby. Poppypaw dipped her head in acknowledgment.

"Ivypaw and Duckpaw. You are sparring first. Use your unique attributes well," commanded Snowbird.

The gray tom and the dark red tabby moved into the open space and began circling each other. Poppypaw could see Duckpaw's eyes flitting here and there, searching for a weakness. It appeared that neither one wished to attack first; Ivypaw was startled when the younger cat lunged under her from almost straight legs, trying to knock her off her paws, but she recovered quickly by rolling away, springing to her paws almost immediately. Ivypaw charged Duckpaw, stopping suddenly to rear up and cuff him on the ear, but she quickly dropped, spun around, and kicked him with both of her hind legs. Or tried to. Duckpaw rose to his hind paws as well, but he jumped from there to land on the Tabby's back; unstable, she collapsed on her side.

"Excellent, Duckpaw. Ivypaw, you can rest a while before you try again. Next, Poppypaw and Gingerpaw."

The two she-cat exchanged wry glances; they knew they had been chosen for their equal inexperience.

"Is that wise, Snowbird?" inquired Applenose. "They'll learn more if they fight someone more advanced; that was the point of bringing Ivypaw, wasn't it?"

The white she-cat dipped her head to the younger warrior.

"A good idea. Amberpaw, you shall fight Owlpaw now instead."

Poppypaw cast an anxious glance at her kitty.

_He isn't really yours any more. He's a warrior,_ she slightly mournfully thought to herself. Amberpaw must've heard her sigh, because he cast a sharp glance at her, silently saying, 'You know you don't believe that, Kathy,' just the way he did when she told him he wasn't allowed on the laundry. Calmly, the golden apprentice padded into the sparring space with the speckledy gray one. For a short period of time they simply stared at each other, big golden eyes against narrowed amber. Then Owlpaw lunged, his paws flailing in a seemingly random pattern, and Poppypaw let out a small _merrow_ of laughter; he looked like he was trying to fly. The gray apprentice feinted left and right, then attempted to dive under Amberpaw, who merely stepped aside. Owlpaw landed awkwardly, and the other tom placed one paw on the gray cat's back to indicate his victory.

"It seems you've made Amberpaw's victory too easy for him, Owlpaw," rumbled Smokefoot. "I haven't ever seen you use that move before; if you want to work on it with me, we can improve it."

Owlpaw ducked his head and moved to the end of the line of young cats. Swanpaw shot him a sympathetic glance as she moved forward. Courageously, Poppypaw stepped into the open as well. A flicker of surprise lit Snowbird's amber eyes, but she nodded.

Poppypaw narrowed her eyes intently watching the elegant Swanpaw as the white apprentice circled her. Inside, though she was panicking, running through all the moves she had learned and getting them all jumbled up. _Why did I step out like that?_ She wondered. That hadn't been _her_ decision, it was..it was...It was the cat. Her inner feline had surfaced again, and it wanted to fight. Wearily, Poppypaw let it take over.

Just to tease Swanpaw, she flicked out a paw at the corner of her vision; she snapped to face the offensive appendage, and Poppypaw turned and twisted, catching her with her hind legs on her ear. The she-cat recovered astonishingly quickly, nipped her tail and when she turned, claws sheathed as always, Swanpaw swiped the black-and white cat's face with her paw. Quickly, Poppypaw ducked back and the white cat reared up, hoping to collapse her with her own _almost_ equal weight, but she grabbed the opportunity, and pushed Swanpaw's paws out from under the other apprentice. However, Poppypaw hadn't realized she was still rearing over her, and she was pinned down by her seemingly crushing weight.

"It seems we have a tie," observed Marshstep, with only a small mrrow of laughter. Swanpaw scrambled to her feet, and Poppypaw shakily rose. _Are there birdies dancing around my head?_ The little cat wondered as she trudged to her place in the row of apprentices. The feline was gone; _she_ had returned, and hardly knew what she'd done.

"Looks like the only ones left are Brownpaw and Gingerpaw," meowed Ebonystreak dryly.

The orange apprentice stepped forward, excited but nervous as she faced the big brown tom. Brownpaw dipped his head, and Gingerpaw coolly inclined hers. Poppypaw was amazed at the orange cat's sudden composure. The two cats circled each other, Gingerpaw's darting eyes giving away her nervousness. Brownpaw seemed to decide to spare her; he attacked first and she defended quickly without thinking. A glance at Littlecloud's face told Poppypaw it had been pure instinct. Brownpaw looked pleased, and the black and white she-cat found herself thinking about how nice he was. A tiny flicker of a warm glow lit inside her.

After that it was hard to tell exactly what happened, since they moved so quickly, but Brownpaw won, as can be expected. Gingerpaw didn't seem to mind, though.

"I can't really hope to win on my first try, can I? And anyway, Brownpaw said I was good for someone with no training. It was fun, actually. It's almost too bad I'll never get to really fight," meowed the orange she-cat quickly and quietly to Poppypaw.

"You heal cats! I'm certain that is worth much more than being involved in all the stupid fights," she pointed out.

"I know, and I love being a medicine cat, but...I feel like I can't do as much as you to protect our clan."

"Gingerpaw, stop being ridiculous. You are going to be the greatest medicine cat ever, and don't you forget it!" scolded Ivypaw. Poppypaw had noticed their resemblance and decided that they were sisters. The sight of their sisterly love for each other reminded her of her adopted little brother, Taro, for some reason. A hole seemed to open in Kathy's heart as she remembered the adorable Japanese boy.

_It's only been three days,_ she reminded herself. But thoughts of Taro led to thoughts of her parents, and—that wouldn't do! Poppypaw cut off the memories before she _really_ missed them.

_I'll go back someday. I _promise_._

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><p><strong>Was that confusing at all? Let me know if it was, since I actually had Poppypaw fighting Duckpaw at first, until I realized poor Swanpaw then didn't get to fight at all. And for those of you who may have been wondering why I didn't update sooner, it was because I lost my flashdrive during our frantic party cleaning-up. Turned out, it was in my cupboard, under my DS.<br>**


	7. Just a spectator

**Fine. You wore me down. Here is the next chapter. However, I feel that you should know that I still have two chapters hostage. You may have the next chapter when I get fifteen reviews. It's only seven more. You can do it. Crookedstar will love you forEVER and almost as much as Willowbreeze, I swear!**

_She kidnapped me from Starclan. However, she does _not_ own me!_

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><p>Lizardtail watched, with slitted pale green eyes. The arrival of the new cats had created quite a stir. More so than when Oliveleaf had arrived. Of course, at the time <em>he<em> had only been a kit. He was probably even quite adorable, back then, Lizardtail was. The yellow tabby stretched and arose, padding to the warriors den.

"You had better not be taking a nap, Lizardtail! I need you on my hunting patrol," ordered Applenose, her new apprentice beside her. He sighed and turned.

"Very well," he meowed in a rather high voice. One of the new apprentices looked at him strangely, and he sighed. Were the half-muffled snickers and curious glances that had so recently died down only to start up again, in the form of these new cats?

_I wish that they would stop judging me for something I have no power to control,_ Lizardtail thought grouchily. The worst time was when a passing Thunderclan patrol had mistaken him a she-cat. Oh, they regretted _that_ when they discovered the sharpness of his tongue. Slowly, he padded towards the entrance, following Applenose and the others. Lizardtail allowed his thoughts to drift away in contemplation of Shadowclan's pine forest, a location he considered perfect. Each tree, young and old alike, lived in perfect harmony with the creatures that took shelter and life from them. The trees even gave soft pine needles to walk on and to provide resting places.

_If I didn't love sunlight so much, _decided Lizardtail, _I'd have to say the trees are my favorite thing about our territory._

"Hello. I don't believe we've been introduced. I'm Poppypaw; what's your name?"

"Lizardtail."

The yellow tabby tensed, ready to retaliate if she made some foolish jibe about his voice.

Abruptly, he slipped off the path, noticing the slightest disturbance in the underbrush. To her credit, the splotchy apprentice did not call after him. Lizardtail had trained himself in the forest for moons, in order to be closely linked with the pines and able to at once sense the smallest change.

A rare rabbit nibbled grass innocently, totally unaware of its danger. Just a few steps more... a spring of wiry muscles, and the long-eared little animal was his. Smugness was certainly clear on his face, but there was a bitter tang of sadness as well. The reason he fought for the rank of best hunter was partly to make up for his fighting skills, which were admittedly only average. But what of the other half of the reason, the one whom he spent most time watching?

_She's never noticed you,_ he reminded himself. _She never will, either. Not when you were the best hunter, not ever. Why can't you just forget the memory of that beautiful summer night?_

Absentmindedly, Lizardtail scratched dirt over his kill, remembering again the one she-cat who had once seemed to understand him. Orchidheart. _Well, best not to dwell on her, I suppose._

With that final thought, the yellow tabby bounded back to the patrol, shutting off more complicated, painful thoughts and allowing his keen instincts to reign over his actions. However, once he had caught up with the others, Poppypaw invaded his peace once again.

"You're a really good hunter, huh? Applenose told me you spend a lot of time by yourself. Is that why I never saw you before, do you think?"

"Probably."

The black and white she-cat had a tiny feather in her fur, telling him that she too had made a catch. Slightly irritated, he wondered why she chattered so much. She didn't talk so much to anyone else, did she?

_She's nervous,_ he realized. _She doesn't know what to say, but she wants to make friends._ Now that he noticed it, her faint fear scent was quite obvious. He flicked his tail toward the little yellow feather still caught in her fur.

"Good catch?"

Relieved, the friendly apprentice plunged into a description of her kill. Lizardtail had to work not to roll his eyes. _She's that desperate to make friends here?_

Suddenly, Poppypaw ceased meowing, her posture alert. She flicked her tail and slipped into the undergrowth. Curious, Lizardtail followed, though he knew it was not his place. He watched, creeping after the apprentice with the silence only he could have.

With surprising ease, the new apprentice caught two mice and a squirrel before turning back. Lizardtail remained, hoping to catch something else. He was not disappointed. The faintest crunch of the green pine needles informed him where the vole was hiding. A smile gracing his features, he stalked closer to the tree.

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><p>Poppypaw felt like banging her head against a tree. Why had she babbled so much? Even now, Lizardtail was probably in the underbrush, laughing with his high voice about her silliness.<p>

"How is your hunting going, Poppypaw?" meowed Applenose. Poppypaw blinked in surprise. Smokefoot, Owlpaw, and Ebonystreak had fanned out in order to cover the largest amount of ground. She had thought her mentor had done the same.

"Fine. I've gotten a finch, two mice and a squirrel already. Have you caught anything?"

The brown tabby seemed pleased.

"That's very good. I've caught three birds, myself. If everyone has had this much luck we could head back to camp. Can you keep up?"

Poppypaw played indignant.

"Of _course_ I can! The question is, can you?" she meowed slyly, darting off to follow Smokefoot and Owlpaw's respective scents. Applenose purred and leapt after her apprentice. Soon Poppypaw slowed down, sniffing the air where Owlpaw had veered off the same path as his mentor. She swiveled one ear behind her to better hear Applenose's approach.

"Should we split up, or will you come with me to check on Owlpaw?"

Hopefully, the quaver of uncertainty in her voice didn't show. _I can only hope._ She knew her mentor would understand—the brief time she had known her had taught her that—but there was a part of her that was too proud to admit her fear. Applenose didn't seem to notice, though.

"You can go get him by yourself, and if he's done as well as you, you two can get your prey and head back to camp. Newleaf is one of my favorite seasons, when it's easiest to find prey for Shadowclan," meowed Applenose with a friendly flick of her tail. Poppypaw nodded and padded in the direction Owlpaw's scent told her he must be. The gray apprentice hadn't gone far, but when she caught sight of him he was stalking a huge frog. Respectfully, she sat down behind a bush to wait for him to make his kill. In the meantime, she watched him curiously. _He's really good... How long has he been training?_

Owlpaw pounced on the frog, killing it quickly with a bite to the neck. He glanced to where Poppypaw had hidden, his eyes showing not even a flicker of surprise.

"Hullo. Why are you watching me?"

"I'm sorry. Applenose wanted to see how everyone was doing...If you've done well she said we could go back to camp together," offered Poppypaw. She was rather hoping the other apprentice would come with her, to be honest. Owlpaw seemed to consider it for a moment before he shook his head.

"I should check with Smokefoot first. You can go on without me."

"That's too bad. I'll stick with you then. It would be kind of weird if I was the only one coming back, y'know? Although...if you'd rather be by yourself, I can go catch up with Applenose alone, too."

Owlpaw narrowed his eyes slightly. _Darn! He's more observant than Applenose._

"Alright," he finally meowed, flicking his tail and turning in their mentors' general direction. "We may as well...they're in the same place and all."

Poppypaw awkwardly padded next to her clanmate. She never caught him glancing at her, nor did he catch her, but they both knew there was glancing going on.

"Poppypaw," meowed Owlpaw suddenly. Said she-cat almost jumped, but she managed to restrain herself.

"Yes?"

"Applenose is a very kind cat...very optimistic...very happy...However, she can sometimes be more...obvious about her feelings and more oblivious to others' feelings than a Shadowclan should be. That isn't bad, but...at the gathering tomorrow night, the other clans will expect to see a certain persona. Most of us don't like it, but if you are chosen to go, you are expected not to embarrass Shadowclan. That's the way Blackstar runs things...it's also why he is so estranged from his daughter."

Throughout the other apprentice's speech, Poppypaw had not looked at him. She felt like Kathy again; had she still been human, her cheeks would've burned. However, when he mentioned Blackstar's daughter, she looked at him again. She was surprised to realize that he was not rebuking her, merely warning her. The unmasked sympathy in his eyes told her that.

"Blackstar has a daughter?" she asked, wondering who it could be, as well as somehow knowing. Now _he_ seemed surprised.

"You didn't notice? They are very similar. Swanpaw is Blackstar's daughter."

"Oh, there you two are. We'd probably head back to camp. Everyone else has caught plenty," meowed Applenose. Indeed, the rest of their patrol were standing behind her, Lizardtail's jaws already practically dripping with prey. _Applenose was right. He is really good._

"Let's go, before my bones get so stiff I can't move. I'm not getting any younger, you know," meowed Ebonystreak dryly. A corner of Poppypaw's mouth twitched. Ebonystreak was quite the oldest in their patrol. Applenose signaled for them to turned back and collect prey.

"No, not any younger, Mother, but always older!" replied Lizardtail, his tail twitching.

_Why am I always so surprised? First Blackstar has a daughter, and now Ebonystreak with a son._

"Perhaps Starclan has made you age before your time, hoping you would join them sooner," suggested Smokefoot. The laughter was no longer hidden.

"She's extraordinarily well-preserved, for someone with a bag of bones like me for a son," pointed out Lizardtail. Poppypaw had no time to laugh, as she recognized a spot where she had made a kill. The older cats continued to joke for the duration of the return trip, and it seemed to take very little time. Poppypaw was proud to be able to stride into camp with so much prey. After depositing it on the fresh-kill pile, she spotted Amberpaw and bounced over to him.

"Look what I've caught! And think, I've only been a c—been hunting for a few days!" She meowed excitedly. The orange tabby easily looked past her to the fresh-kill. _Why is he so much bigger anyway?_

"Not bad, for you, though they're probably the laziest prey in the forest," he replied teasingly.

"Oh, you just don't want to admit that I'm as good as you are at hunting."

"Who said you were as good as me?"

Meanwhile, Lizardtail watched.

_I'm always just a part of the scenery, aren't I? No one needs me. Even Poppypaw has a friend. And _she—_she doesn't even notice me anymore._

With a sigh, the yellow tabby retreated to the warriors den to take a nap, wishing he could find oblivion instead of the cat dreams that haunted him. But there was no sleep without dreams. Everyone knew _that_.

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><p><strong>Don't you just love Lizardtail? Remember to review! *is evil. But then, we already knew that.*<strong>


	8. The Battle of Tiger and Hare

**No one ever reviews! *pouts* Fine, have your next chapter. Crookedstar, disclaim please.**

_I'm in the bathroom!_

**Yeah, about that...how did Riverclan get toilets?**

_*flushes* Um...You don't own me!_

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><p>Nettlekit yawned. Why was no one ever up at dawn? In <em>his<em> opinion, it was the best time of day. (Of course, he didn't know that most of Shadowclan was awake at night, and were too tired by dawn to resist their nests.) The black tom prodded his sister with one paw.

"Harekit!" he ordered in his deep kitten voice. "Wake up!"

_She's so lazy,_ he thought with disgust. Bounding over to the drinking moss pile, he picked a sodden piece and trotted back carefully. After just a few drops had landed on her nut-brown fur, Harekit sprang to her feet, her nose and whiskers quivering.

"I don't like water! What do you want, Nettlekit?" she mewed. The other kit winced at her high voice.

"Would you keep it down? I don't want anyone to hear us!" he told her quietly. Harekit's ears pricked up.

"Really? Why? What are we doing today?"

Nettlekit gave her a secretive look and motioned for her to follow him with his tail. Silently, they crept into camp, wide eyes darting here and there, searching for guards. There was only Shadeclaw, and he was just creeping outside of the entrance. The kittens felt certain they were safe. Nettlekit licked his paw, just a little nervous, and slipped out the entrance with Harekit on his tail. It was easy to sneak past solitary Shadeclaw, and the small tom grinned smugly. He sniffed the air, decided which way he needed to go and crept off again.

"Where are we going?" mewed Harekit. Nettlekit waved his tail at her for silence.

"Hush! Tigerstar could be following us, and we are the last hope of the forest!" he meowed importantly. "There are few safe places in the forest. We go to the fallen trees!"

Harekit was quiet after that. Nettlekit sniffed the air again. He knew the apprentices went there a lot, to train. He ought to be able to track the way...right? Otherwise..._I'm just a kit._ The little tom looked down at his slender paws for a moment, but then brightened. He could smell Ebonystreak and Brownpaw! _No, not just a kit—Nettlestar of Shadowclan!_ Confidently, he led Harekit through the ever-lighter forest to the trees. Both kittens were exhausted by the time they got there.

"It's still early! That's good, we're ahead of them," panted Nettlekit. He breathed deeply, inhaling the scent of pine needles.

"Since we're the last hope, we should be training, right?" asked Harekit. She was younger than her brother but she was bigger, a fact that caused Nettlekit to eat far more than he actually wanted.

"Yeah!" he replied eagerly, scrambling to his feet. "Tigerstar is really strong and really fast, so I'll be him! You know, once we practice."

Harekit pouted, her whiskers drooping.

"Why do you get to be Tigerstar?"

"You can be Harestar, wise and beautiful _rightful_ leader of Shadowclan, who opposes Tigerstar's rule with a challenge for a duel to the death! And you get to win, anyway," he meowed. Nettlekit liked being the ringleader of things, but he also liked to make his sister happy. _She looks almost as pretty as Dappledblossom when she's so happy she almost glows,_ he thought, unaware of the light in his own eyes the his clanmates said distinguished him as being Emberstorm's son.

"Then can we skip training and do the fight right away?"

"Fine. I'll be waiting for you to come bursting in with your warriors over here, and you go behind that bush."

The forest was just dark enough to cast strange shadows everywhere. Nettlekit could almost smell mystery in the breeze—or was that a nearby stream? The little black tom assumed a haughty, arrogant, and cold expression. He was Tigerstar, enemy of Starclan, and he would crush all resistance, including the rebellious Harestar.

"Good, good," hissed a tiny voice in his ear. "Kill Harestar...reclaim glory..."

Nettlekit glanced over his shoulder. There was no cat there. Shivering slightly, and with a twinge of real fear, he turned to face front once more. Harekit picked that moment to leap out of the sparse undergrowth with a yowl, landing in him heavily. They tumbled off to the side, turning over and over, but Tigerstar was on top.

"You cannot defeat me, Harestar...Just give up now; I might even show mercy."

"Never! You have tormented Shadowclan for long enough! It is time for a new leader to rise, and to lead the clan the true meaning of darkness," spat the she-cat, hatred clear in her eyes as she shoved Tigerstar off of her with a kick of her hind legs. Rising from the moss covered ground, Tigerstar attacked her again. Harestar jumped aside. From there, the battle intensified. The kittens seemed taken over by their game as they struggled against each other. When Nettlekit swiped his sister across the muzzle and drew blood, Shadeclaw stepped in.

"Why don't we settle this matter with a peace treaty? You really aren't supposed to leave camp yet, you know. Suppose we go back now and see Dappledblossom, who is worried about you, I'm certain. Don't you two ever learn?"

Nettlekit was startled so badly he jumped almost a tail-length into the air. Then he was confused.

"Were you watching this whole time? I thought you didn't see us!" he mewed, while Harekit remained still for a moment and suddenly began to wash busily.

"I admit, I was interested in your game, but we really must get back now. Come with me, please."

It took them a surprisingly short time to get back to camp. Nettlekit guessed that was because they weren't sneaking there. It seemed Dappledblossom had roused the entire clan when she woke early to take a walk and found no Nettlekit or Harekit beside her. _If she knew how many times we've snuck out before..._

"It's all right. They were playing in the forest," meowed Shadeclaw as he strode into camp. Dappledblossom padded over to him quietly, as was her way.

"Thank you, Shadeclaw. I know I can always count on you, my brother," she almost whispered, rather shyly. Among the clan, Dappledblossom tended to be very reserved, while in the nursery she was more open.

"Why don't you two just go back into the nursery? I'll be along in a minute...And do _stay_ there this time."

Nettlekit and Harekit nodded and set off.

"Maybe we can play something with the other kits now!" suggested Harekit. Her companion shook his head.

"They're always wanting to play bat the moss and playing with fresh-kill. I think I'll take a nap," he replied as they padded into the nursery.

With a colossal yawn, Nettlekit sunk into his share of their nest, completely ignoring the numerous scoldings from all directions. He dreamed of a pair of yellow eyes, and a deep, honeyed voice hissing praises in his ear. _Next time, little one, next time..._


	9. Forgotten Purpose

**And here is our handsome ginger tom. I would appreciate reviews that are more than one word, y'know, like what you particularly liked or didn't like. It's good for writers to receive _constructive_ criticism.**

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><p>Clan life definitely agreed with him, decided Amberpaw as he stretched. In just a few days, he had been able to easily shift to Shadowclan's reversed schedule. He was beginning to love the moonlit forest, and of it weren't for Kathy—Poppypaw, now—<p>

_I'd never leave,_ he realized. The thought disturbed him slightly. _Am I so willing to give up my housefolk?_

"Amberpaw, I noticed you were having trouble with that spinning feint. Why don't we go practice it?" meowed Marshstep, a mixture of politeness and friendliness in his meow that spoke greatly of their new acquaintance. The ginger tom rose with a flick of his tail. He hoped it wasn't too casual for an apprentice—Marshstep was his superior, after all. However, the older tom took no notice, and inclined his head towards entrance before turning to it. Silently, Amberpaw followed, his tail as high as ever. Keeping his tail up was more a matter of habit than conscious thought.

"I thought we'd train somewhere different tonight. Sootywings and Kinktail are training with their apprentices there today, and to be honest, I'd rather surprise them with this move. I invented it, you see. It's quite difficult, but rather effective," meowed Marshstep. Amberpaw glanced up from the ground in surprise, but his mentor was still walking.

_He doesn't usually talk so much. Is there a reason, I wonder?_

As he expected, a moment later, the brown tom cleared his throat.

"Tomorrow night, all four clans will gather on the island in the lake. We will share news, and be pleasant to each other, and we may or may not slit each other's throats the next day. It is a privilege to attend a Gathering. Those who have misbehaved or not made sufficient progress remain behind to guard camp."

Now the brown tom looked back over his shoulder at him.

"I would like for you to be able to go. But now, let's train."

The spinning feint Marshstep invented was difficult and dizzying, but more of a distraction technique. It required a cat to spin around tightly, allowing the circles to grow larger and smaller before closing around one's opponent and attacking, usually by pouncing on or under them. It made Amberpaw feel sick from all the turning, until his mentor revealed the secret to it.

"You must pick a spot and keep looking at it. Always the same spot. Your enemy's face is good. It creeps them out."

Amberpaw dipped his head, swaying slightly, and tried it again. Always looking in one spot reduced the dizziness, but it was not gone completely. At length, Marshstep noted a lack of effort in his work.

"Let's go back to camp now. You've improved."

It was curt, perhaps, but praise from his mentor was always subtle. Even though had he known Marshstep for only four days, Amberpaw knew that. He yawned. It would be good to get back to his dreams. No longer dreaming of Kathy and sunlit twoleg gardens, he had begun to dream of a mysterious forest, shrouded in starlight.

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><p>When Amberpaw awoke again, it was dawn, and Poppypaw had returned to her nest. Wincing slightly as he rose—it would be nice to have a little room to stretch once one woke up—he leaned over her and gently licked her forehead as he had when she was first changed. Yawning and shaking himself slightly, he stepped over Poppypaw and jumped down to the ground. He wasn't able to enjoy the silence for long, though—no sooner had he begun to sharpen his claws against a tree trunk, than a piercing wail of fear met his ears. Half a moment later, a mottled gray queen darted out of the nursery, her frightened eyes searching everywhere. Amberpaw recognized her as Dappledblossom, a very reserved and gentle queen who didn't speak often. She liked to listen.<p>

"What's the matter?" he asked curiously. It had to be pretty important for her to yowl like that.

"Nettlekit and Harekit have gone again!" she meowed, her eyes wide with fear. " It isn't the first time they've slipped away to play, but it's always such a shock, and even though I know ther big enough to take care of themselves—" Dappledblossom's voice was high and her breathing was ragged, "they're really so little..."

The slim she-cat crouched on the ground, murmuring to herself nervously. From what Amberpaw knew of Shadowclan history, it sounded like she was reciting the names of previous Shadowclan leaders to calm herself. Deciding she needed Emberstorm, he hurried to the warriors den, where Rowanclaw, Cobrafang, Orchidheart, and Snowbird had already woken up.

"It's Dappledblossom; her kits have run off," he reported to them. Orchidheart nodded sympathetically.

"They're really very wild. Poor thing. I'll wake up Emberstorm," she meowed, retreating into the warriors' den. Amberpaw glanced back at Dappledblossom nervously. Ho hoped she would be alright by herself until Emberstorm woke up. The warriors were still hovering when Orchidheart slipped outside of the den with Emberstorm and Sootywings, her brother. News spread quickly through camp, and Blackstar soon joined them.

"Dappledblossom, what happened?" he inquired gently. Amberpaw could see none of the cool cat he had presumed Blackstar to be. The gray she-cat looked up at him fearfully.

"Nettlekit and Harekit are gone again! I—I woke up, and they had gone, and Blackstar—please find them!"

"It's all right. They were playing in the forest," announced the sentry, Shadeclaw, as he padded around the bend that hid camp. The crisis over, Dappledblossom was calm again as she walked to her kits. Relieved, Amberpaw chose not to listen to their conversation. It was brief anyway.

Setting his claws to the nearest tree, the ginger tabby once again began to sharpen his claws.

"Amberpaw."

Surprised yet another time—really, could one get no peace and quiet?—the apprentice almost ripped a claw.

"Marshstep?" he replied, uncertain and curious as to the reason for their conversation.

"Blackstar has told me you are going to the gathering. Congratulations," he meowed, openly friendly. A half-purr caught in Amberpaw's throat. It was strange to see Marshstep having feelings. He had known they were there, of course, but...

_Hmm. The Gathering...this ought to be fun._

Amberpaw began to look forward to that night. He could hear Poppypaw stirring from her sleep. _I'll go tell her about it!_ he thought eagerly, trotting to the large tree. With a well-placed jump and a little claw work he was right next to her nest.

"Wake up, sleepyhead! Early cat catches the mouse, y'know. Guess what Marshstep told me? Blackstar told him I can go to the Gathering! All four clans go to an island in the lake—the on you talk about, sometimes—and they share news and have fun! Even if they're feuding against each other; isn't it cool?" he meowed rather quickly. The smaller black-and-white cat raised her head sleepily.

"Whuh? Didn't catch that mouse...can you rehunt that?" she meowed, her mind garbling the words as much as her yawn did. Amberpaw rolled his eyes.

"The Gathering! For all the clans. The ones you here about in the stories the elders tell...you know?"

Poppypaw blinked up at him sleepily.

"I don't listen to the stories. You know that."

"Neither do I. Brownpaw told me."

The she-cat finally rose and stretched. The apprentice den was empty enough for _her_ to manage, he noted. She flicked her tail to him—maybe that gesture _was_ too casual for him to make to Marshstep—and jumped straight to the mossy ground. As he followed, intending to speak with her some more, he realized he hadn't eaten since the previous night. Casting a glance at the fresh-kill pile, he padded to the mice instead of his human. Something about his dream, not the one from last night, but the one—the last one _before—_something about it was bothering him. But what? Just what had the shadowy she-cat said? _'Stay close to your human, Boots...'_

Why did there seem to be another meaning to her meows? _If I had stayed just a little closer...f hadn't gotten up...Would she still be the same? Or would she be human still?_

Amberpaw glanced down at the fresh-kill again. Somehow, he didn't find himself hungry anymore.

_Starclan didn't send us here to forget their message so easily. I have to be ready—to save Kathy, and Shadowclan._

The ginger tom turned and raced out of camp, his sudden speedy getaway startling the rest of his clan; they were still blinking the dreams out of their eyes, or else dozing off.

Puss-in-boots hurtled along, his restless paws barely touching the pine needles. At that break-neck speed, the great firs were only a great green blur, strangely warped by the morning light. The birds squawked and flapped in the trees, made uneasy by his passing. Despite all their noise, the forest seemed strangely silent, a feeling that only added to his desperation.

_Where is it? I know I'm close, I can smell the patrol, but—_

There! One fallen tree, leaning against another in a natural arch. It was tall enough for a full grown twoleg to pass through, let alone Kathy. Puss skidded to a stop. Opening his mouth to breathe more deeply, he filled his lungs again and again with her scent, Kathy's completely and gloriously human scent. It was old, but it was there just the same. The ginger tom couldn't help himself; he rolled in the pine needles delightedly; for a few happy moments, he was with Kathy again, his beloved human, and they were playing in the forest.

Suddenly, his paw brushed against something with a different texture. Amberpaw sat up right faster than he had time to think, and wishing afterward he had thought, since it was only a mushroom. Several of them in fact. There was a long, curved line, circling like a fairy ring around the spot where Kathy had curled up to catnap—

Puss felt a jolt of realization.

_Great Starclan! It's a fairy ring! Kathy slept in a fairy ring, but she wasn't just taken away, she was transformed into a cat._

His joy from merely moments earlier dissolved, and he felt a weight in his stomach.

_Starclan's warning came too late. Was this the source of the power that snatched her? Was this what I was supposed to watched for?_

The ginger tom sighed and hung his head. It seemed like he had already broken his silent promise. _It won't happen again,_ he vowed as he turned back toward Shadowclan camp. _Not on my life._

* * *

><p><strong>I added that visit to the mushrooms just now! So about this thing with the dreams I have going on... I have this theory that since cats spend so much time sleeping, they always dream. But Kathy wasn't a cat originally, she doesn't always dream...at least, not yet.<strong>


	10. Trouble at the Gathering

***Coughs* It's been a while. Sorry. You haven't forgotten me, have you? I was having some trouble with this chappie, and I've been busy.**

_You've been lazy._

**Oh, be quiet! That's Cinnamon, or Cinny for short. She feels a need to criticize my work constantly...but she never managed to get out of the closet before...**

_The plushie of Graystripe in a princess dress was cheating._

Will either of you _ever_ free me?

**Now, now, Crookedstar...don't be silly. First reviewer gets aforementioned plushie!**

She still doesn't own me...Not yet_..._

* * *

><p>The stillness of the moonlit night made Poppypaw feel more awake than ever. She was learning to love the darkness, the shadows that intrigued her and blocked the memories of her family. The lapping of the lake against the sandy shores emphasized the silence. The crunch of the sand beneath her paws seemed unnaturally loud—yet not loud enough to penetrate the quiet. The loudest sound was of Poppypaw's own heartbeat—louder and louder, the strange, icy dread in her belly contrasting with the fire that made her heart race so. She was almost in a trance, the nearness of her clanmates her only comfort.<p>

"Poppypaw! Poppypaw!" hissed Amberpaw, nipping her flank. The black-and-white apprentice shook herself and shuddered. Prickles of fear still ran down her spine, but this time she attributed them to her nervousness. An enormous fallen tree's roots loomed in front of them, stabbing at the starry sky. Owlpaw was already scrambling up onto the top of the tree, lightly trotting across. Poppypaw did not find the crossing so easy; the tree's bark had long been washed away, making weaving through the branches tricky. She began picking her way across carefully, her eyes glued to the wet wood.

And then...she looked up. The tapestry of branches had a small gap, at the end of the tree. The feline narrowed her eyes, her warm golden gaze having become cold, and calculating. A smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth as she lowered herself into a crouch. She sprang forward, her small, furry body lithely twisting as she darted around the branches. Poppypaw allowed herself to relax. Letting the feline take over was much easier than crossing the log by herself.

"Mrraigh!"

A cold jolt wrenched her from her safety on the log.

Somehow, her surefooted paws had slipped.

How had that happened?

Her claws were too short, too weak.

She was sliding away, into the darkness, and Amberpaw couldn't save her.

Poppypaw wished she could still cry.

Strong jaws grasped her scruff, lifting her away from the black water. She let out a breath she hadn't even known she had been holding, and began to hyperventilate. All she could see was the brilliant orange fur of her rescuer. Slowly, the Shadowclan apprentice raised her eyes to the massive tom's face. The world, previously stabilized, began to spin again. His green eyes were too familiar, too strange. He didn't really look like Puss at all...But Rusty's elegant, sculpted face and his warm emerald-colored eyes could not be mistaken...Kathy could not look away. The world of _Warriors_ was real.

Warriors_ is real._

Kathy collapsed helplessly on the ground just as Amberpaw reached her.

"Poppypaw!" he exclaimed, nuzzling his best friend. She was definitely unconscious...but why? The handsome Thunderclan tom seemed not only concerned, but as startled as Poppypaw had been when she saw his face, and—sorrowful. His eyes were sad, even as he stared at her. Amberpaw suddenly realized the unnaturally serious voices near the center of the island. There were no younger, higher voices to be heard. Only Shadowclan had brought apprentices. Grim foreboding tainted his good mood.

_You must help to prove our innocence in this crime._

Amber-eyed Amberpaw tensed. The Thunderclan tom seemed to understand, turning to leave; however, as he left, Gingerpaw hurried forward.

"What _happened_?" she wailed. The other, darker ginger apprentice blinked. Were Poppypaw and Gingerpaw already so close?

"She—she slipped. That Thunderclan cat saved her. I was too far away...and I don't know if she can swim. But...she fainted," he meowed, shamed by his failure to save her. Gingerpaw ran her tongue across her fangs anxiously.

"It might be shock—the fainting, I mean...but she ought to be okay, I think. Wait—what happened to her claws? They're all frayed and ripped."

This Amberpaw hadn't noticed. His memories of Poppypaw's accident, her clutching claws and echoing cry, were briefly relived in his mind. Gripping the hard, slippery wood with her sharp little claws had taken its toll.

Poppypaw stirred, her realization still ringing in her mind as she awoke. Two orange faces greeted her with worried eyes. She blinked, and realized that Gingerpaw had come while she was out.

"Hi," she mewed, struggling to her feet. "Has the Gathering started yet?"

Gingerpaw shook her head.

"Not yet. C'mon, let's go see what's happening."

Smiling, Poppypaw nodded. She would have to deal with the dread weighing heavily in her stomach and prickling at her fur with Amberpaw later. Gatherings were supposed to be fun. Why would this one be anything different? She padded between her two suddenly protective friends nervously. As they approached the clearing, and Poppypaw unsuccessfully tried to bite her lip. It didn't work on a cat mouth. She flicked her tail instead. _Why aren't there any apprentices? All the warriors seem so solemn_. A few toms even cast angry glances towards the Shadowclan apprentices before looking away. It was almost like they were jealous. But that..._couldn't_ be. The only possible reason for that...would be if they had no apprentices. And they should've had apprentices. Something was terribly, terribly wrong, but what was it? The frightened little she-cat shrank into the shadows to hide with the others of her clan; their quiet fear was oddly comforting. She did not notice Firestar's thoughtful gaze follow her there as Blackstar cleared his throat.

"Shadowclan prospers," he meowed, elegant, handsome, and mysterious. His aristocratic appearance contrasted sharply with the other leaders. Onestar was regal, but more like Napoleon. He was _little_. Leopardstar was the picture of queenliness, and Firestar was striking, with his bright fur. "We have two new apprentices, and I am happy to report that Lilyfur has had her first litter. Our forests continue to yield prey." With this last, Blackstar nodded to Leopardstar. The golden she-cat had an angry expression, one that spoke of accusations.

"Shadowclan has stolen our kits!"" she yowled. Poppypaw froze, her ears pricked to the slightest sound. Her own breathing seemed to loud, too ragged. Leopardstar had a crazed, vengeful gleam in her eyes. "It's true! Four sunrises ago, every kitten under twelve moons disappeared."

"What proof do you have?" demanded Swanpaw. Cats all over the clearing were yowling, each trying to drown out his neighbors.

"Our kits were taken as well, Blackstar," meowed Firestar; Onestar nodding in agreement. The white tom was impassive but for his eyes, which burned with anger. The clearing had become a riot, despite the futile attempts of the medicine cats to calm things down.

"_How...dare_ you."

Blackstar's low, ringing voice silenced the mob. Even Swanpaw, who had been steadily fighting her way to the Tree, was spell-bound.

"You accuse me—no, you accuse my clan, of this? Of—stealing away every kit, every apprentice in the forest in one night, in a _single night_, leaving no tracks, no scents, no traces whatsoever. And you turn to us when it comes time to lay the blame, merely because evil has chosen us in the past? Do a few monstrous cats make the rest of us evil, as well?

"I have served under _three_ tyrants, and of those, Brokenstar and Tigerstar were two. Brokenstar—" a small, sardonic smile twisted a corner of his mouth. "Well, Brokenstar _was_ a bad boy. Him and his lies, and his murders. He kept all of us in the dark. But...the funny thing is about the dark is that once you've been in it long enough, it only takes the smallest ray of light to separate the light and the shadows.

"What _none_ of you understand, is...almost everything, except for what you've been set up to see. There is not a single cat in this forest who knows what this is about, but I doubt you will ever see your kits again if you do not look beyond a single ray of sunlight! Once you are a shadow, you learn the difference between the light that is meant to illuminate and the light that is meant to deceive."

Leopardstar's tail lashed angrily.

"If those words were meant to trick us, I'm afraid you have failed. You have one day to return the kits. And if they are not returned, Riverclan will attack," she meowed haughtily.

"As well as Thunderclan," announced Firestar.

"And Windclan," mewed Onestar firmly. Startling every cat, Blackstar yawned.

"I suppose it's always nice to have a little warning, and it was a little too much to expect you'd actually start keeping your brains in you heads, instead of your claws, but is keeping the treaty beyond you as well?"

As Leopardstar prepared to snarl a response, the moon was blotted out by a cloud. Poppypaw nearly froze. _I was right. Something is wrong. And now _everyone_ thinks it's our fault. What will we do?_ Amberpaw sensed her shock and nudged her gently.

"Night vision, remember? Just like Applenose taught you. Ignore your eyes until they adjust."

Poppypaw shook her head in an attempt to clear it and began to focus on her ears and nose, opening her mouth to taste the air. Amberpaw was on her right, Owlpaw was on her left, and seven cats were between her, Littlecloud and Gingerpaw. Amid all the confusion, Blackstar, Russetfur, and Swanpaw were making their way back to their clanmates.

"Shadowclan!" hissed he, crouching among them. "We must get to the lake and swim back to our own territory. I'm sorry, but it's the _only_ way."

The small party of cats moved silently and swiftly to the edge of the island, where Blackstar urged them into the water. Poppypaw, nervous at first, thought she heard someone coming through the brush, and plunged into the icy water. The white tom stayed behind to bring up the rear, sending Russetfur ahead, but he had entered the lake first of all of them.

A yowl of rage sounded from the island. Obviously, the others had heard it too, because they kept glancing back over their shoulders, though Poppypaw didn't bother. The murderous, enraged Leopardstar had obviously discovered their disappearance. Despite the way her entire body seemed to be made of icicles, and the aching in her muscles, the she-cat couldn't resist a smug smirk. She had witnessed Blackstar trump the queen of Riverclan. It was a good day to be a feline.

_Or, should I say, night?_

**I was having trouble figuring out how to get Poppy to talk to the apprentices, until I decided** **to get rid of the apprentices, too! ;)**


	11. Shadowstar

**I've done it! I've _finally_ broken my record of 3349 words with this new chapter—3959! EEK! I've been trying to beat that record for the longest time! *sighs happily* Crookedstar, start telling everyone about how I don't own you.**

Cheesypriestess does not own me, nor do any of my affiliates, acquaintances, enemies, or relations. Thank you. Now get me out of here!

***stifles Crooked with pillow* Now now, don't be that way...just go use your mysterious Riverclan toilets again.**

*flushes*

* * *

><p>Juniperkit woke up first.<p>

Larkkit was the bravest, and Creamkit was the saddest, but Juniperkit woke up first, just as Snowbird entering the nursery.

"What's wrong?" she mewed, blinking the dreams out of her eyes. The white she-cat smiled, but the expression was forced. Her eyes were scared and angry.

"Nothing. Blackstar just thinks it's time for me to move into the nursery."

The tabby kit was unconvinced, but she knew as well as any kit that forcing information out of grown-up cats was no use. She'd have to figure things out for herself.

"How was the Gathering?" asked Nettlekit eagerly. His sister, Harekit, who was far nicer and less inclined to consider the younger kits' games 'kittenish', gazed at Snowbird eagerly as well.

"It was...fine. But I'm afraid Blackstar wants all of you to keep to the nursery for a while."

Juniperkit felt one of her sisters stirring just as the sleepy, cream tabby head rose. Larkkit yawned.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing, apparently," replied Harekit, licking her nose. Snowbird didn't notice, since Harekit was still getting over a cold, but it was a signal for 'we'll talk later.' Nettlekit and Harekit had made up the signals all by themselves when they were four moons, so that no one would bother them when they tried to talk. The little black tom claimed that Juniperkit and her sisters had been the reason for it, but Harekit told them that really it was Dappledblossom. She could be rather overprotective. Sometimes, as Harekit had told Juniperkit, Nettlekit wondered if there had been a third in their litter or Owlpaw and Duckpaw's, and Dappledblossom feared losing another kitten.

"Alright now, back to sleep you go. Your mothers won't be pleased if I let you stay up late like this; you'll be cranky in the morning," meowed Snowbird. Juniperkit obediently lowered her head onto her paws, and she could hear the older kits doing the same, but the silence was a waiting silence.

At last, once Snowbird was deeply asleep, Nettlekit rose, his sister following his lead. Juniperkit hastily disentangled herself from her sisters and got up as well. Now, for the first time, Creamkit woke up, and it was all Larkkit could do to keep her quiet and explain to her what was going on—or rather, what 'wasn't.'

Nettlekit had devised a cunning plan. If there was really something going on, the apprentices who had gone to the Gathering—namely, Swanpaw, Duckpaw, Owlpaw, Poppypaw, Gingerpaw, and Amberpaw—would be relating the tale to those who hadn't—Brownpaw, Duckpaw, and Ivypaw. Nettlekit and Harekit were both good climbers, so as long as they were fast, he was pretty sure that they could hear the entire conversation. He only hoped that silly Larkkit, Juniperkit, and Creamkit would be able to climb as well. The apprentices' den was pretty high up, but there was a branch near the entrance, perfect for eavesdropping. Harekit had seen Brownpaw sunning himself there many times.

Sneaking slowed the kits down, but the tree was close the the entrance of the Nursery, and Nettlekit was an excellent sneak-er.

"All right," he hoarsely mewed. "We have to get up to that branch, and we must get there before the moon sinks to..._there_. When it's there, the hollow in the tree will be all moonlit, and that's when the apprentices talk."

From the base of the trunk, the branch seemed very high indeed, especially to little Creamkit. The distance the moon had to travel before the apprentices began to talk didn't seem long enough, but Nettlekit was determined, as were the others. He began his ascent stubbornly, digging his claws into the bark. He was almost as big as an apprentice, and just as strong! One by one, the others climbed as well. Larkkit took to climbing naturally, and Harekit had had practice. Juniperkit relied on her determination to ignore the difficulty of the climb, but Creamkit simply couldn't seem to make it. Long after even Juniperkit had reached the designated branch, the cream and white kitten couldn't get farther than a few feet.

"Hurry, Creamkit," hissed Harekit, desperately. "They're waking up!"

Gathering the last of her waning strength, Creamkit bounded up the trunk, making the branch faster than anyone else, despite her delay. Delighted, Juniperkit nudged her littermate happily.

"Shh!They're awake!" warned Nettlekit. The kits fell silent, pricking their ears. There were indeed soft noises of cats moving. Apparently, Gingerpaw had joined her friends earlier. Harekit suddenly realized how lucky they were. If she had climbed up the tree later, they would've been discovered. At last, everyone seemed to have gotten comfortable.

"So what happened at the Gathering? Why were you all wet?" asked Brownpaw eagerly. The tabby tom had been assigned to guard the entrance for the duration of the trip, making anything happening seem more exciting.

"Well, to start with, Poppypaw nearly fell off the log," meowed Amberpaw. Owlpaw purr-giggled.

"Really? Is that why you were almost late?"

"Oh, be quiet. That isn't important," replied Poppypaw. Juniperkit felt sympathy. If _she_ had made a fool of herself by almost falling off the log, she wouldn't want anycat to talk about it either.

That didn't mean that she wouldn't tell Milkwhisker all about it some time, though.

"Yes, but you were rescued by Firestar himself!" protested Amberpaw. Of the kits, only Larkkit noticed the underlying tone of shame. _Amberpaw blames himself,_ she realized. She also wondered why she had never eavesdropped on the apprentices before; it was much more interesting than playing Bat the Moss.

"And then you fainted," reminded Gingerpaw. Swanpaw stirred uncomfortably.

"This isn't really important right now. We need to discuss what happened at the Gathering."

"Yes, of course you're right, Swanpaw. That was the point. It's just...sort of dark. Not good-dark, bad-dark," meowed Amberpaw solemnly. Nettlekit and Harekit exchanged nervous, excited glances.

Swanpaw began the story.

"Once the Gathering began, Blackstar shared his news first. However, I noticed that the other leaders had begun talking to each other beforepaw, and that there weren't any other apprentices."

"What?" gasped Duckpaw. "Swanpaw...how is that possible? Were they all sick? Being punished?"

Juniperkit guessed that Swanpaw shook her head in response to him, as she heard nothing. It was certainly surprising news. What could've happened to the apprentices? The black and cream tabby kit felt as excited as when she heard the elders tell stories—until she remembered that this story was real.

"According to Leopardstar, Firestar, and Onestar, every kit and apprentice in this forest has vanished without a trace—except, of course, the ones in Shadowclan."

"We were all surprised. I guess the other cats were surprised that we were surprised, because when they realized _we_ were still here, they immediately assumed that we must have taken them," meowed Poppypaw.

"That's ridiculous! What were their reasons for this?" protested Ivypaw, indignant. One of the apprentices sighed—Creamkit couldn't tell which, although if she'd paid more attention to the positioning of the older kittens she might have guessed.

"Because we're _Shadowclan_," snapped Poppypaw, angrier than anycat had ever seen her, "and because we're dark, and we prefer shadows, and _evil_ prefers shadows as well, they always turn to us to lay the blame."

For a few moments, the tree-hollow was silent. Nettlekit began to fear having been detected, his tail twitching nervously.

"What happened then? After Leopardstar and the others accused us, I mean," meowed Brownpaw, serious as ever. Larkkit felt glad that the apprentices had a sort of leader to pull them together and ask the right questions and things, or else listening in on the conversation would be a lot more confusing.

"There was practically a riot. Everycat was shouting, and yowling. If Blackstar hadn't stepped in, there probably would've been more fighting, but as it was I don't think anyone got more than a scratch or two," replied Swanpaw. One cuold almost hear how in her mind's eye she was imagining the Gathering over again. For a small cat, such a mob could be truly terrifying. To Harekit, even a few of the larger warriors such as Smokefoot were terrifying.

"What did Blackstar do?" asked Duckpaw curiously.

"He made a speech," meowed Amberpaw. "It was really great, too, but the other clans weren't convinced."

"They'll attack in one day if we don't give back their kittens," chimed in Owlpaw.

"All of them?" demanded Ivypaw. Juniperkit's eyes widened in amazement. Imagine three clans ganging up on one! It was unthinkable.

"Yes, all three. I suppose we'll have to fight...I mean, it isn't like we have the kittens, after all," pointed out Poppypaw. Amberpaw gasped, delightedly inspired.

"You're a genius!" he exclaimed. Presumably he began to pace around the den, as his voice began to move around the tree trunk.

"What do you mean?" asked Gingerpaw, her first time voicing her thoughts. The golden apprentice laughed exultantly.

"_This_ is what they meant! _This_ is why we're here! Don't you _see_, Kathy? We must prove Shadowclan's innocence—by finding the lost kittens!"

There was such a great _lack_ of noise that the chirping of crickets was loud and distinct.

"What do you mean, 'Kathy?'" asked Owlpaw.

"That was your name, Poppypaw, wasn't it?" meowed Gingerpaw softly. The surprised apprentice cleared her throat.

"Yes, it was. Amberpaw, you're right, I think...but I'm...not 'Kathy' any more...remember?"

Larkkit was surprised by how clearly she could feel the orange tom's sudden despair, his sadness and shock. _Did he think that after becoming Poppypaw, she would still be Kathy?_ she wondered.

"It's a great idea, Amberpaw," meowed Duckpaw, his eyes surely shining.

"Thanks," Amberpaw replied, disguising his feelings almost perfectly. He was truly sad about the loss of 'Kathy,' but he was too proud to show it. Larkkit knew he loved Poppypaw; she was his best friend, after all, but she suspected he adored Kathy...the way he had reacted to Poppypaw's response.

"We'd have to leave before the other clans come...even of we surrender, they're bound to guard the camp constantly," mused Ivypaw.

"If not more often," meowed Owlpaw, somehow retaining a lighthearted spirit. But no one laughed. When the entire clan's resting on the young shoulders of eight apprentices...it was just too serious, and scary, too horrible—and strangely wonderful. Nettlekit felt mixed apprehension and excitement bubbling up in his belly. He only hoped he could convince them to take him and Harekit along..there _had_ to be some reason that he could use...

"Should we tell Blackstar? So that..he'll know?" suggested Swanpaw shyly. Shyness was out of character for her; perhaps she felt strange, expressing her feelings towards her father even in the smallest way. _The older you get, the more complicated things are,_ decided Larkkit.

"If we tell him, we should definitely tell Littlecloud as well," meowed Gingerpaw. "He and I might be able to meet in dreams...if either of us hear anything from Starclan, we could tell each other, and he'd know we were all right."

"That sounds fine," replied Brownpaw. "As long as no cat here minds, we _should_ tell them. But...I think that's a bit beside the point. Amberpaw. Tell me now. Were you sent here by Starclan?"

Despite the deliciously fascinating pause, Juniperkit couldn't help but notice how similar Brownpaw's way of speaking was to his sister's, Applenose.

Finally, Amberpaw spoke.

"Yes. Yes, we were. I had a dream, a dream up in the clouds...and a black she-cat told me that I had to come here, and prove your innocence."

Harekit inhaled sharply. She was struck suddenly by the similarity of Amberpaw's story to another ginger tom, who had received dreams from Starclan even as a kittypet.

"Of course, when...Poppypaw and I arrived, you were all perfectly happy. There were no charges against you. Nothing of the sort. I told Blackstar about my dream already; that is why he let us stay. But the black cat didn't tell me anything beyond finding you. I really don't know where to even _start_."

"I had no idea..." whispered Owlpaw. Nettlekit strained his ears to catch the words, soft as an owl's wingbeats.

"I suppose you really _couldn't_ tell us?" asked Ivypaw pointedly. Once again, the kits had to guess at a nod in answer, due to a lack of sound.

"Well, I think we've covered everything, so why don't we ask the kits on Sunningbranch why they're eavesdropping?" suggested Gingerpaw brightly.

Nettlekit froze. His tail, which had been swishing ever-so-slightly, stopped dead. The friendly gray head poked out of the hollow tree anyway, however. The black kitten felt rather disgruntled that the apprentices had been so rude as to let them think that they had been successfully eavesdropping undetected, rather than letting them know sooner.

"Why don't you just come on in? The more the merrier!" declared Owlpaw, stepping aside to allow them entry. Sighing huffily, Harekit primly followed her brother, but Larkkit, Juniperkit and Creamkit took no such measures for their dignity, preferring to express only their true feelings.

"You knew we were there the _whole_ time?" asked Creamkit of Duckpaw with wide eyes. He had always been her favorite.

"We could smell you as soon as you left the Nursery, actually. I thought that was a bit strange, since Blackstar ordered that all kits stay inside, but I didn't realize you were eavesdropping until you got up to that branch. You were very stealthy," he praised her. Creamkit beamed.

"So why were you listening in? Didn't anyone tell you what happened?" asked Brownpaw, his head tilted to one side. Juniperkit shook her head.

"Snowbird wouldn't say anything, so we decided to listen to you instead."

"Yeah, I knew you'd be telling each other what happened about now," mewed Nettlekit casually, his chest puffed up with pride. His mew was very nearly a meow.

"How did you know?" inquired Amberpaw, glad of the distraction from his sorrow.

"Well, we've _actually_ eavesdropped on you before," admitted Harekit. "You aren't mad, are you?"

Pretty Swanpaw shook her head.

"No, not at all. You're really quite clever. You'll probably be wonderfully stealthy once you've been trained for a while," she replied kindly.

"But can we come with you?" mewled Juniperkit, desperate to simply _know_.

"Oh please, _can_ we Duckpaw?"

"I'm almost six moons, I could help!"

"Quiet!" meowed Brownpaw, raising a paw for silence. "I'm...I'm not sure what to do. But I think...that, as kits, you should stay here, with your parents. You're the the hope of the clan, if we apprentices leave, and—"

"Nettlekit!" cried Harekit, gazing at her littermate with wide eyes. He was shaking, his head lowered as if he was in great pain. Suddenly, his trembling legs straightened, and he raised his head. Several of the apprentices gasped; his eyes were glowing like stars.

* * *

><p><em>Nettlekit blinked. The Apprentices' Den had vanished; before him was a silvery wood, and a black she-cat. The little black tom knew enough of the elders' tales to know who <em>she_ was. He lowered his head in a bow._

"_Shadowstar," he squeaked, kittenishly terrified. She laughed._

"_Raise your head, little one. I have something to ask of you."_

_Nervously, Nettlekit lifted his eyes. Shadowstar was beautiful, and graceful even when still._

"_What is it?" he mewed._

"_I need you to convey a message to your friends. But to do that, I need to take over your body for a little while. Is that all right?"_

_The legendary leader's golden eyes were warm. He trusted her completely, without a doubt...except for one._

"_It's an honor, Shadowstar! Only, why are you using _my_ body?"_

"_I have my reasons. First of all, you are a kitten, untainted and innocent. Secondly, you are black, and that _is_ my favorite color. Lastly, you are the one who needs me most. We will meet again, soon. Close your eyes, my little Nettle leaf."_

_Obediently, Nettlekit closed his eyes._

* * *

><p>The black kit felt a jolt. He opened his eyes, and could see the inside of the hollow tree again. The only difference was that Shadowstar was controlling his body. His friends—funny, how he never thought of them that way before—were staring at him. Shadowstar tried to speak through Nettlekit's mouth, but he resisted.<p>

_Relax, little Nettle leaf._

"Hello again, Amberpaw. I hope my timing is not altogether inconvenient."

The apprentices exchanged wary glances.

"Who are you?" challenged Swanpaw, her blue eyes narrowed in distrust. Nettlekit's voice sounded strange, being spoken through by someone used to meowing in a different key.

"I am Shadowstar, founder of Shadowclan and princess of the night," she replied.

"Why...why are you here?" asked Gingerpaw. She felt very strange and slightly silly. She wasn't used to addressing little kits as members of Starclan. But she also felt, astonished. The same feeling from when she saw cats from Starclan in her dreams—something that had only happened to her twice—quivered in her belly.

"You need instruction. You need direction and you need someone to convince Blackstar to let you go. And you needed someone to convince you to let the kits come with you."

Poppypaw had a puzzled expression on her face.

"Why the kits?"

"They are my only option...they are innocent, and pure-hearted," Shadowstar whispered. Juniperkit gazed on Nettlekit with a new fascination. Speaking through his mouth was a legendary leader who she had never even dreamed of meeting.

"Then...what should we do? Must all the kits come with us?" meowed Poppypaw, trying to make sense of everything.

Duckpaw didn't say so, but he rather suspected she'd fail.

"Apprentices, kits of Shadowclan. I, a leader of Starclan, have given you a quest. Do you accept it?"

A single cat stepped forward. Blue eyes gazed into golden ones, starry.

"Yes," Swanpaw mewed. The beautiful solemnity of the moment, of the moonlight and the fear that all of them secretly harbored, inspired the others to step forward. From that moment onward, they weren't a ragtag group of kits and apprentices, they were companions, questers.

They were the last hope of the forest.

Smiling, Shadowstar looked them over, clearly satisfied.

"Good. Let us go and speak with Blackstar now, shall we?"

The black kit turned, leaping out of the hollow. Terrified, Gingerpaw darted to the opening. To her immense surprise and relief, Nettlekit and Shadowstar had made it to to ground safely. The small she-cat licked her fangs nervously, but duty (and excitement) won out over her fear. She began leaping downward from branch to branch, rather than jumping the whole way. She had never really gotten used to jumping so far. Ivypaw had often scolded her on this count, but Gingerpaw had never realized how useful being able to jump far below could be. The orange apprentice landed lightly, paused to wait for the others, and padded after her friends cautiously, her tail flicking constantly.

Shadowstar strode into Blackstar's den as if she owned it—which, despite the fact that in her time, the clans had lived in the Old Forest, she might as well have. Irritated, the white tom raised his head, opening his mouth to speak. He clearly had been unable to sleep. Nettlekit's glowing eyes silenced him.

Was that why Shadowstar had had to come to them, instead?

Amberpaw waited for Nettlekit to speak, but the littler cat was silent. Turning, he realized that Nettlekit was shaking again. A flash of brown fur streaked around him; Harekit was worried for her beloved brother. A moment later, he collapsed, but Shadowstar remained. She was like a star, having descended to give them a message. Glowing, ethereal, and ghost-like.

"Blackstar," she meowed. Nettlekit's voice simply couldn't do hers justice. "Your clan is troubled. Threats rise from every corner. There is only one way left to turn. Send these cats to find the lost ones. They're only kittens, but they are strong. You must let them go. They are our only hope...even Starclan knows naught of this enemy. Will you give them your blessing?"

"Shadowstar?" he asked, his golden eyes round. She nodded, patiently waiting for him to understand. For a little while, Blackstar was silent as he mulled what she had just said over. His eyes softened as they lingered on Swanpaw's delicate face, and Larkkit caught the tiniest glimpse of his true sadness. But the decision was made.

"Is there any true choice?" he meowed harshly. "I will let them go."

"Blackstar, Blackstar...there is _always_ a choice. Remember that, in the nights to come..."

Now, she faded away, the moon's glow the only light remaining. The den was plunged in shadow.

Not that anyone minded _that_.

Nettlekit opened his eyes slowly, amazed by what he'd seen. For once, he was quiet. He hadn't seen the last of what went on, nor did he seem to care. _She picked me,_ he thought happily. _She could've picked anyone, but she picked me!_ During the time that he had been unconscious, he had been inside of Shadowstar's mind, sharing her thoughts and memories. It seemed that she was there even now, that he could speak with her whenever he wished.

"Blackstar! What happened? I had a dream..." began Littlecloud, as he rushed under the leader's sapling, stopping dead once he realized that all of the apprentices were standing in the leader's den. Gingerpaw suddenly whirled and buried her nose in his chest, inhaling deeply his special scent of herbs and berries. How long would it be before she smelled that again?

"I was right, then?" the tabby meowed in a softer voice. "They have sent you on a quest...oh, little Gingerpaw, Juniperkit...I will miss you greatly."

Juniperkit padded to the edge of the shadows, rubbing her face against Littlecloud's leg as she passed him. The camp was achingly familiar. _Do I really want to go with them?_

"I suppose this is wisest," mused Blackstar. "If you stay here, you will may be safe, but you will should not be forced to witness war between clans. No kit ever should be." The white tom sighed again, staring down at his black paws. Poppypaw, distracted by the farewells, turned to look at Amberpaw. He was looking away from her, staring at the flowers stubbornly.

"You...should leave. There's very little time left. Go now, and hurry," insisted Blackstar, his tail thrashing. Duckpaw picked up Creamkit unbidden. Harekit cast one last glance towards the nursery, wondering whatever Dappledblossom would think. Larkkit closed her eyes and sent a quick petition to Starclan, despite knowing that they were already on her side.

"Go!" yowled Blackstar, Littlecloud remaining close by him like a tabby shadow.

The apprentices, some of their leader's urgency rubbing off on them, begun to run out of camp. Even the familiar forest seemed scared, whispering to their paws, keeping them as fast as the wind blowing through their pelts.

Wearily, Poppypaw gazed at the moon, veiled by clouds. She no longer had the slightest idea of why she had said what she had to Amberpaw...she would always be Kathy, wouldn't she?

The black-and-white she-cat shook her head. All she knew was that whenever she looked at him, she felt the tiniest flicker of warmth inside.

And as for Amberpaw? His feelings were mixed toward Poppypaw.

He couldn't help but love her. She was Kathy.

He couldn't help but hate her. She was not Kathy, and never would be. Not ever again.

* * *

><p><strong>Aww, poor li'l Amber...he's just <em>heart<em>-broken. Let me know what you think...in a review! Come on, after such a long chapter I need appreciation. And cheese. Cinny, fetch some toasted cheese sandwiches with mayo, and the Cheese may decide to allow a cheezburger!**

_Who told her my weaknesses?_


	12. Starcrossed Dreamers

**Once I got over my writers' block, this chappie was so fun to write. Crookedstar, you know what to do.**

HEEELP!

**No, the _other_ thing that you know how to do.**

*sighs* Fine. Cheesypriestess does not own me, nor any of my associates or affiliates. Any opinion expressed by a canon character does not represent the opinion of Warriors as a whole. However, she does own...every main character in this story, with the exception of Blackstar and Littlecloud. And Shadowstar. She also doesn't own Tawnypelt, Brambleclaw, Snowbird, Russetfur, Rowanclaw, Smokefoot, Ivypaw, Cedarheart, or Oakfur.

**I think they know who I don't own.**

Why doesn't that list include me?

**Ummm...because?**

* * *

><p>Fear.<p>

The scent of it was flooding her nose, choking her breath...

The world was racing by in

flashes.

Dizzy.

Confusion, pain. Her thoughts were tangled, knotted.

What happened, again?

Surprise, sharp jerk of pain...

Mouse.

Was it the mouse, that they wanted? Had that scrap of prey been the reason why—

Someone screamed. She realized it had been her. Thinking hurt...and darkness beckoned, so welcoming...so welcoming...

"No, no, please! Don't leave me now, not after all this time—I—I—"

She couldn't fight now; it was too late.

She closed her eyes

and began to dream.

* * *

><p><em>The slender, black kit giggled. She darted outside of the Nursery to crouch behind a tree root, her blue eyes dancing.<em>

"_Eek!"_

_The yellow tabby pounced on her from behind, startling her. Orchidkit lay still as Lizardkit pinned her down._

"_I got you!" he sang triumphantly. She wriggled free and jumped to her feet, shaking the dust from her fur. Warriors and apprentices alike were cheered by their play; most kits weren't so imaginative. Most kits couldn't have fun during a drought. Most kits might get tired of each others' company, but Not Orchidkit and Lizardkit. Dried, powdery brown moss was crumbled and scattered in the camp to make 'ashes' from a 'fire.' The kits would then proceed to spread slightly fresher moss to symbolize 'rebuilding the forest.'_

_They spent many hours at a time simply curled around each other in their secret hideout, whispering dreams and stories in the other's ear._

"_And then, they were transported to a magical land where it was _always_ raining, and _nowhere_ was dry like here, except for _deep_ in the caves, where there were many mushrooms. But the mushrooms weren't just mushrooms, they were cats, too, only they hadn't gone outside for many moons, because they feared the _HUGE_ dog that was said to live in the forest. But they vanquished the dog easily, and became the prince and princess of the mushrooms, and ruled over them 'til the end of their days."_

* * *

><p>Lizardtail could barely feel the strain that dragging Orchidheart through the forest put on his muscles—come to think of it, he could barely feel. The limp black she-cat was battered, bruised, and broken, courtesy of those—those <em>frog<em>-brained warriors with badger-dung for hearts.

_Almost there, Orchid-princess,_ he thought as he quickened his step. _Don't give up on me now_...

Her shallow, ragged breath seemed strained. The yellow tabby cast a quick glance at the wound on her head, It was bleeding...but was that good, or bad?

The bend that hid their camp was approaching. Lizardtail managed to drag the both of the to the entrance of camp, where Smokefoot and Rowanclaw were creating a barricade out of fallen boughs from the pine trees. A murmur of surprise rippled through the camp when they first saw him. An agonizingly long heartbeat later, Cobrafang yowled.

"Littlecloud! Littlecloud, it's Lizardtail and Orchidheart...they're..." For once, the sandy tabby was speechless; she just helplessly gestured to the weak cats. Lizardtail's legs seemed ready to collapse, trembling. Keen-eyed cat that he was, the little brown tom didn't miss his exhaustion.

"Lizardtail, you've done very well to bring Orchidheart this far. Now, I need you to just keep carrying her to my den. Someone, help him!"

Shadeclaw hurried to help support his Orchidheart quickly. Step by step, they finally made to the Littlecloud's den. The yellow tabby swayed slightly on his paws once he had set his beloved down on a nest made of moss.

"You need to sleep," meowed Littlecloud. "I'll do the best that I can for Orchidheart, but if you kill yourself, it won't make her any better."

Lizardtail could barely think coherently. However, he knew that the medicine cat was right—at least, he thought he knew. Slowly, wincing with each movement, he settled down right next to Orchidheart. There was no way he would ever let them be separated again. Not ever. Maybe she didn't need him any more, but he would always need her. It was time he admitted that.

* * *

><p><em>Orchidkit may not have had a mother anymore, but Ebonystreak gave her and Lizardkit both enough of a washing for two full-grown warriors, despite their wriggles.<em>

"_Cats of Shadowclan, I come before you today to conduct an ancient ceremony. Lizardkit, Orchidkit, come her."_

_Vivid green eyes shared an eager glance with eyes of yellow-green. Together, Orchidkit and Lizardkit padded to the base of the tree where Blackstar stood._

"_Tonight is a happy night for Shadowclan, as we name our first apprentices in this new forest. Lizardkit, from this night until the time that you have proven yourself worthy to be called a warrior, you will be known as Lizardpaw."_

_The yellow tabby's chest swelled with pride. Orchidkit couldn't help but give in to the smile tugging at the corner of her muzzle._

"_Smokefoot, you have proven to your clan and me many times over that you are a loyal and honest warrior. It is time that you have your first apprentice; pass the traits that ever cat respects you for down to Lizardpaw."_

_The large, dark tom smiled, an uncharacteristic gesture of emotion for him. Calmly, he rose and padded forward to touch noses with his first apprentice. Orchidkit was almost bouncing with impatience._

"_Orchidkit. From this night, until the time that you prove yourself to be worthy of being called a warrior, you shall be called Orchidpaw. Mistcloud," the white tom smiled at his equally pale mate, "it is time that you had an apprentice. Pass your wisdom and compassion on to Orchidpaw."_

_The almost ethereal-looking she-cat drifted forward. From her silvery nose to her silver-tipped tail, Mistcloud was a sight to behold. Orchidpaw reached her dark nose to meet her mentor's rosy pink one eagerly. She had waited a long time for this._

_Something wet splashed on her nose. The black apprentice tried unsuccessfully to look at whatever it was, but succeeded only in making herself cross-eyed. Then, another drop landed—this time on her soft pelt. And another. Orchidpaw shivered in delight._

"_Rain," she whispered. Only Lizardpaw heard her at first. "RAIN!" she exclaimed, pouncing on the yellow tabby. They rolled over the rapidly darkening ground with delight; they'd never seen rain before, between a combination of fine weather and drought._

_For the first time ever, Orchidpaw got herself thoroughly wet, rolling and splashing with Lizardpaw through the puddles._

_Just as before, all who saw their play could not help a smile, albeit a wistful one. The kittenish simplicity of life could not last long._

* * *

><p>Littlecloud worked feverishly. He was doing his best to take care of the two cats, but still, there was no telling whether or not Orchidheart would live. Snowbird, who had come to help him in place of Gingerpaw, did her best, but he rather wished Gingerpaw had still been there. Occasionally she reminded him of some thing that he had forgotten, or suggested something that another apprentice had told her. And Gingerpaw knew which herbs were which.<p>

"Get me some more cobwebs," he ordered through a mouthful of leaves. Carefully, he began to press the leaf-pulp into the wound on Orchidheart's head. The she-cat jerked in surprise, twisting this way and that. Littlecloud held her head firmly and patted a layer of cobwebs over it. That was the last of her injuries, for a little while, at least. Lizardtail had to be treated without being disturbed; his main ailment was exhaustion. And fear. Even after he was asleep, the brown tabby could almost see it pulsing through his body. _Orchidheart has become his whole life. When did that happen, I wonder?_—

_Orchidpaw frolicked on the edge of the lake with Lizardtail happily. Mistcloud, slowed down by her kits, couldn't keep pace, but she was close behind._

"_Did you see Riverclan last night? They looked all silvery and smelled all fishy. It was so weird!"_

_Lizardpaw tried to smile. Oh, yes, he had seen the Riverclan cats. And yes, he had seen his best friend mooning over some arrogant Riverclan tom. What she hadn't seen was how he felt about that. He barely knew how he felt. He knew that he'd like to tear that cat into as many pieces as there were stars in the sky and throw him into the lake for fishfood for daring to look at Orchidpaw._

_So he was a little jealous. Why? He wasn't sure._

Oh, who am I kidding?

_He knew why. Every time he saw Orchidpaw, his heart beat faster, and there was a warm glow inside his chest. Beyond being his best friend, the only one who would stand up for him, his world revolved around her._

_Mistcloud cried out in pain. _

_Orchidpaw, her green eyes afraid, turned and ran to her mentor. Startled, Lizardpaw followed._

"_What's wrong? What is it?" meowed the black she-cat urgently. Mistcloud's silvery-white sides were heaving._

"_It's the kits. I'm kitting!"_

"_Lizardpaw, go get Littlecloud, quickly!"_

_The yellow tabby didn't need telling twice. He turned and ran through the trees, weaving through them carefully._

"_Littlecloud! Mistcloud's kits are coming!" he yowled. Blackstar, who had been organizing some sort of patrol, jerked his head up to meet Lizardpaw's green eyes. Ignoring the cats gathered around him, the white tom strode forward._

"_Where? Where is she?"_

"_The lake," he meowed. Behind Blackstar, Littlecloud rushed out of his den, his jaws full of herbs. "I'll show you—hurry!"_

_The return trip seemed to take much longer than usual. Frequently, Littlecloud had to pause and rest, but the lake wasn't far anyway._

"_Mistcloud," murmured Blackstar, his face contorted in pain as he hurried to her side. Orchidpaw moved away from her mentor silently to give Littlecloud room._

"_Is something wrong with her?" asked Lizardpaw. Even though he had been watching Blackstar, there seemed to be something more than concern on the medicine cat's face. His friend shrugged helplessly._

"_I don't know. Oh, I hope she'll be all right."_

"_Yeah, me too. I wish there was something we could do."_

"_No!"_

_Blackstar's cry of complete anguish brought the two apprentices' attention back to the three cats by the water. Mistcloud lay still, barely breathing, but a single, tiny white kit was curled up on the shore._

"_Blackstar, it's time," the silvery she-cat rasped. Her blue eyes were gentle, sad. "You will see me again in Starclan...Littlecloud, let me see her..."_

_The brown tabby nudged the newborn kit over to her. Mistcloud smiled. Somewhere overhead, a swan began to sing a song of lament._

"_Let's name her Swan...Blackstar!"_

"_I'm here."_

"_I...love...you..."_

_The white queen lowered her head on to the sand. Her beautiful blue eyes were closed forever._

_Lizardpaw knew he'd never forget the way Blackstar had looked as his mate died._

_Not ever._

* * *

><p>Somewhere, far off, there were voices. Low, worried, as if they didn't want to disturb someone. Not him, surely—he was fine. Then who—<p>

Orchidheart!

Lizardtail tried to jump up, but Littlecloud had anticipated his movement.

"Not yet. If you want to move, you will do so slowly and carefully, and you will not re-open your wounds. Orchidheart hasn't woken up yet. She's in Starclan's hands now."

Carefully, as instructed, he shifted into a sitting position. Orchidheart was still. Her normally smooth pelt was patched with silver spiderwebs and green leaves.

Anything was better than the blood.

He couldn't stand the blood. It was just another reminder of how he'd failed.

Gently, Lizardtail leaned forward to lick Orchidheart's forehead. His princess. His beloved.

Not for the first time, he began to wonder why he hadn't killed those scruffy ruffians.

Oh, right. Orchidheart would be disappointed in him. _As if she won't be already. If she ever wakes up, anyway_.

He was nothing to her. He had realized that when she had protected him, when Brambleclaw called him a she-cat. He hadn't been able to let her protect him anymore...but once he tried to become someone she would love, she stopped noticing him completely. He was just another friend, another one of her clanmates.

That didn't stop him from having feelings for her, though.

"I love you," he breathed in her ear. Perhaps he was imagining it, but he thought he saw her twitch.

Maybe, just a _little_ bit?

He began to hope again.

* * *

><p><em>Orchidpaw hated her new mentor. Lightning was a rogue, with a rogue's ways, and she didn't understand her new apprentice at all. In the moon that had gone by since Mistcloud's death, she often wondered how much more she could take of Lightning's sharp tongue. Somehow she managed to endure—until at last, when she had failed to find soft enough moss for the gray she-cat's nest, Lightning began spitting insults at her in front of the entire camp.<em>

"_You ignorant little frog-brain! I told you to find _soft_ moss, not this brittle, hard stuff! How hard is it to—"_

"_SHUT UP!" roared Lizardpaw. Everyone, including Orchidpaw, stared at him in amazement. Normally, he rarely spoke up, feeling self-conscious because of his high voice. Lightning had probably never heard him talk before._

"_Don't you _dare_ speak another word to Orchidpaw, or I'll—I'll"_

"_You'll _what_, rip my tongue out?" she snapped. Lizardpaw's eyes narrowed. Orchidpaw couldn't keep a tiny smile off her muzzle. Lizardpaw had learned from the best; anyone with Ebonystreak for a mother would have to be sharp-tongued. She'd probably argued with Cedarheart over his name._

"_Sounds like a good idea—to start with. Then I can rip off your tail, on bite at a time, and de-claw you, you frog-brained pile of BADGER-DUNG!"_

_Orchidpaw gazed at Lizardpaw with wide eyes, astonished. He barely seemed to be himself with fire in his yellow-green eyes and hackles raised._

"_Lightning, I think it's best that you leave Shadowclan. I'm afraid clan life isn't quite suited to you," meowed Blackstar. His tone was cordial, but there was a warning in the stiffness of the way he sat. _No one_ was allowed to stay in Shadowclan after a display like that. He couldn't risk exposing little Swankit to such madness._

_The gray she-cat was more subdued than anyone had ever seen her._

"_I'm sorry," she meowed. Then, she turned and left camp. Quietly, Orchidpaw crept to Lizardpaw's side and whispered in his ear._

"_You're my hero."_

_Orchidpaw never saw Lightning again. Blackstar chose to train her personally rather than risk another episode like that._

* * *

><p>"<em>How does it feel to be a warrior" asked Applepaw eagerly. Orchidheart smiled at the black-and-brown apprentice.<em>

"_It feels...wonderful. So different—but still just the same, you know?"_

_Applepaw didn't know; the black she-cat could tell. She might be able to imagine, but she didn't know. She couldn't know—not until the night when she too, was named a warrior. Orchidheart cast a slightly wistful glance at Lizardtail, surrounded by his own congratulatory crowd of clanmates. They never played the story game anymore. He was always off in the forest by himself. Was it to avoid _her_? Ever since that patrol of Thunderclan warriors...She had stood up for him, as always, but he had never seemed so down before. Maybe he wanted to fight his own battles now; he had proven that he was confident enough to do that with Lightning. At any rate, he certainly didn't want to be around her anymore. Orchidheart looked away from Lizardtail sadly. Had he lost his dreams, the entire lands inside both of their heads where once, they had walked freely?_

_She sneaked another glance at him. To her surprise, he had moved; his yellow tail was disappearing around the bend that hid camp._

"_Excuse me," she quickly meowed to Applenose and Swankit, hurrying after him._

_Apparently, all that time alone with the trees had paid off. There was no sign of Lizardtail; she had to rely on her nose to find him. But she found him just the same. Orchidheart had the feeling he wanted her to follow him._

_Lizardtail was sitting in a lush, green glade by the lake. It was possibly the most beautiful place in Shadowclan territory. Long ago, when they were as close as two stars in the sky, they had gone there to do their best dreaming._

_Orchidheart sat next to the yellow tom silently, so close their pelts brushed. The lake was beautiful at sunset. The blue water became red and orange with the dying light of the golden sun. The sky seemed twice as large, and even more beautiful. The red roses, swaying in the breeze, echoed the fiery glory of the sun, but they didn't lessen the silence. Each one was waiting for the other to speak first._

"_Lizardtail...why are you avoiding me?"_

_He glanced at her for a moment, confusion and longing mixed in his tortured gaze._

Why don't you understand?_ asked his pleading eyes. _I wish I could,_ hers replied._

"_Orchidheart...I—I..."_

_Lizardtail paused for a moment, and shook his head. He gave Orchidheart a quick lick on her ear, and darted back into the forest._

"_Lizardtail, wait!"_

_It was no use following him this time. She knew better than to even try._

If he wants me to understand, then why won't he let me try to?

* * *

><p>Floating<p>

in a sky

with no stars,

Memories

flashing through her

head.

One face

presents itself

over and

over.

_Lizardtail._

Gentle, comforting.

Saving her from

the darkness.

Showing her

her own

shadowy dreams.

_Why?_

So close...always so close...

So brave...so sweet...

Eyes so deep

a perfect cross

Between golden

and green.

_Why?_

Shy dreamer,

you always tried

to protect me.

_Why?_

Was it...

Was it...

Love?

Love for me?

Love for my dreams?

Love for the stories we told?

_Love._

One dream

never known

comes true

in a sky with no stars.

_Love._

A silent whisper, far away.

_I love you._

Floating, drifting,

in a sea of nothing.

Fight, fight to the last breath.

Or else,

He'll never know she knew

She'd never get to tell him

_I love you too._

* * *

><p>Orchidheart slowly, slowly opened her eyes. A familiar, golden face swam into view. Sturggling for words, she opened her mouth.<p>

"Once, in a kingdom where it always rains, there was a prince, and a princess, who ruled over the mushroom cats. The prince and the princess had been together for many seasons, but the princess never realized his love for her."

Lizardtail's face slowly lit up. The words were coming more easily now.

"And then, as the mushroom cats were preparing for war, enemies attacked the princess. She fell into a deep sleep, one that lasted a long time. But the prince never lost hope, whispering his love to her in her ear night and day. At last, when he was ready to give up, she whispered back.

"'I love you too.'"

For a very long time, Lizardtail had thought he was nothing. But he was wrong; even before she knew it, he had always been her prince.

Her hero.

* * *

><p><strong>I LOVE this chappie! So sweet! So awesome! Feel free to leave twenty-five thoughtful, caring reviews each!<strong>


	13. Kitnapped

**First, I would like to say that I am very, very sorry for being so neglectful. At long last, here is your next chapter. Hopefully, you have not all forgotten me completely, and will forgive me. Multitudes of mushroom kittens are begging you.**

**That's about all that I have to say, except that I appreciate every review individually and thank the review leavers with the biggest grin in the history of grins, and I don't own Warriors. But I do own the concept of mushroom cats, I think. And I'm pretty sure that I own this plotline (well, not the bit with a girl turning into a cat, I guess, but all the other stuff. Maybe?). Don't even think about stealing any of my originality!**

* * *

><p>Sea hated the dark. In complete, absolute blackness, she felt like a helpless, weakling kit. She <em>was <em>a helpless kit to some, older cats, but she disliked being reminded of that fact. No, she _intensely_ disliked it. She couldn't wait to grow up. The sooner she found her way out of the tunnel, the better.

She tensed with a hiss. A stranger had trodden on her tail.

"Oh, sorry. Who's there? What clan are you from?"

"What? I'm...alone."

"Oh, a loner. Heathpaw, there's a loner here too!"

The small she-cat heard approaching pawsteps. A slightly deeper voice, clearly belonging to a tom, sounded.

"What's your name?" he meowed. Sea straightened out of the defensive crouch she'd assumed cautiously.

"Sea."

"Hello, Sea. I'm Prairiepaw, and this is Heathpaw. We're from Windclan. Were you kitnapped too?"

"I don't know and I don't care. I want to get out of here, and then I want to be left alone," she snapped. There was only so much friendliness that she could take.

The strangers seemed startled, and almost hurt—Prairiepaw at least. The silence seemed to stretch on for an age, though it was probably only a few heartbeats. The quiet invaded Sea's ears, and she tried to figure out why.

"What was that?" hissed Heathpaw, surprising both of his companions.

"What was...what?" whispered Sea. It was all very well to go her own way when there was nothing in the dark with them, but if there _was_ something...

"I thought I heard...pawsteps. And...a creepy giggle," he muttered. Sea moved closer to the older kitten. He could, hypothetically, anyway, protect her better than she could.

"You're probably just imagining things," mewed Prairiepaw at last. She didn't _seem_ scared until Sea realized that she had moved closer to Heathpaw as well. Her voice had moved.

A noise sounded in the dark. Sea shuddered. A creepy giggle? That was exactly what it sounded like...echoing off the close walls over and over, disguising where it came from. Regardless, it sounded like it was getting closer.

"Run!" yowled Heathpaw. Sea followed him blindly. Whether he knew where he was going or not, it was better than being alone.

Finally, their low-ceilinged passage seemed to open up into a huge cavern. There was a tangled confusion of scents and sounds, but whatever had been chasing them was gone.

"Who are all these cats?" mewed Sea. She did her best for a haughty tone, hoping to re-establish the fact that she didn't need or want anyone else—as long as nothing scary popped up.

"Kittens, not cats. Some Thunderclan apprentice was going around finding out everyone's ages and names and stuff like that, but no one's older than ten moons," replied Heathpaw.

"How long have you been here?"

"It seems like forever sometimes...but I think—I _think—_that it's only been a sunrise or two," meowed Prairiepaw. "The funny thing is that there aren't any Shadowclan kittens down here. Just Windclan, Riverclan and Thunderclan. Do you remember how you got here, Sea?"

The pale gray kitten frowned, shaking her head, before remembering that the other cats couldn't see her actions.

"No."

She had fallen asleep on the sand, waiting. She couldn't go home, because that would mean that she had given up hope, and she would never do that. When she woke up, it seemed like nighttime, but it wasn't. Sea couldn't hear the singing anymore. Even at home, the singing was there. Faint, but there. The silence terrified her almost as much as the dark, but she didn't like to speak. There was no escape. It wasn't nighttime, it was a night_mare_.

"We should probably go tell Berrypaw that we found you. Come on, he's usually over here," meowed Heathpaw, his voice itself seeming to pad forward. _In the dark, you use what you have to pretend that you can still see_. Heathpaw was quiet and reserved, and his voice was soft, almost shy but for the hint of boredom. Sea thought that he might be silver, or pure white, with ice-cold blue eyes. Prairiepaw was much too talkative for Sea's taste, (though she'd rather no one talked at all, so that's not much to go by) but rather nice just the same. Perhaps she was soft, grayish brown, like a rabbit. A free spirit, like all cats. A free runner.

"Berrypaw! We found a loner down one of the tunnels," called Heathpaw. Sea sniffed the air curiously. Berrypaw didn't smell like the other two at all; his scent was...woodsier. Like sunshine on moss, or damp brambles in the shade.

"Oh, you're back. That's good. Did you notice anything...strange?" meowed Berrypaw.

"What kind of strange?" asked Prairiepaw, curiosity evident in her voice.

"Er—it's probably nothing, but you know Jaykit? He's the blind tom, y'know, and he keeps saying that he can hear stuff from down some of the tunnels."

"Yeah, actually. I mean...well, it was _something_, that we heard," mused Heathpaw. "I don't know what yet, but something, definitely."

Sea shuddered. Whatever that something was...she didn't want to meet it again.

"Come on Sea, let's go get some sleep. Heathpaw and Berrypaw are probably going to start talking about boring stuff now, like how many nests you can fit into the least amount of space. It's as if they've suddenly both, simultaneously been made deputy, or something, and they're the most important cats ever—but Berrypaw is still much nicer than he used to be, so I guess it's alright."

Blindly, Sea followed the other kitten's voice. It was so much harder to walk without looking! She felt frustrated already. And tired. The fleeing and all the excitement had taken a toll on her, and even though she didn't want to admit it, she was more than ready for a rest.

"Here is where everyone sleep—some cats like to stretch out, though, so be careful about where you step. Here, let me get you a nest," meowed Prairiepaw.

"I can do it myself," muttered Sea, but as she already heard her friend scraping something together, she sulked in silence. She wasn't _that_ little.

"Thanks, I...guess," she mewed.

"No problem," replied Prairiepaw. Suddenly shy, the other cat yawned and retreated further into the blackness.

Sea prodded the nest with her slender paw cautiously. It wasn't moss, exactly, but something similar. With a sigh, she turned around twice and settled down.

Her nest was so deliciously soft that she found herself dozing off only moments after her head touched her paws. She was so luxuriously comfortable that the whisper of a chill breeze hardly registered with her foggy senses.

_'Batty-batty twirls and leaps_

_while beside her a new friend sleeps.'_

The faintest, tiniest breeze seemed to carry a distant echo of what might have been laughter.

Or a creepy giggle.

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><p><strong>Will you review now? Pretty please?<strong>


	14. The Swan and the Phoenix

**My apologies. This chappie took forever for absolutely no reason. Please don't hate me.**

_She doesn't own Warriors. Just so you know. Because you might not._

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><p><em>One. Spectre.<em>

_First was the Spectre, the silver star whose light shone too bright to be tamed._

A sudden shiver—or perhaps shudder, or even a slight _tremble_ of cold, of damp, of rain-soaked air—that was what awoke Swanpaw.

She had been unsure, at first, whether she would like the new territory, once she saw it through the fog. Somehow, even as they padded over and around the hills, through the few sheltered copses of trees, Swanpaw hadn't known quite what to make of the land. It was nothing like Shadowclan, nor anything like any other place she had seen. She was beginning to realize that the world was much larger and more varied than she had really thought it to be. Familiarity, safety—they had closed in her world to her home and the other places she already knew. But having to leave in fear of one's _entire_ family being _destroyed_ was a harsh way of expanding one's horizons. Her eyes still shut against the unfamiliar world, she sighed slightly.

The soft sh—sh of an strange cat's tail on the unknown ground, the slight pad of their large, almost-silent paws—that was what awoke her fear. Terror and curiosity both roused the white she-cat to her feet, and she got her first good look at her new surroundings.

She was in a two-leg place, obviously. The bitter, acrid scent was all too familiar from the thunderpath they had crossed a night ago, and it was too strong to be anything other than one of the really big ones. Unlike the few twoleg nests she'd seen, this one's sides gapped in places, allowing the moon to peek inside. It reeked of decay, and the dust dominated everything, even the moonlight. The tiny silver motes swirled like mist.

Farther back, in the shadows, there were haphazardly stacked piles of wood, like tiny, sharp cut dens. Eyes of every shade gleamed at her from between the chinks in the walls, teasing, playing cat-and-mouse.

All of this Swanpaw noted only in passing. Her blue eyes were drawn instead to the dark figure just in front of her, just short of the moonbeams. Blinded by light, even she could make out little of his features or his scent. She detected only cruelty and the coppery tang of blood.

"Tell me, pretty kitten," the stranger rumbled, "how have you gotten lost, so very far from home?"

The white she-cat stiffened, her blue eyes narrowing. Chuckling slightly, the enormous tom—even larger than her father—stepped into the light. The color of his pelt was revealed to be a sort of shimmery golden-ginger. Instinctively, Swanpaw shrank back—only slightly, but the chorus of threatening growls that met her were hardly encouraging an escape. The tom's amber eyes glinted.

"Let's leave the who's for another time, shall we?" he meowed smoothly. "I am Pheonix. Now, you will tell me your name."

_No. I am a shadowcat. I am darkness itself, and no evil can hold me._

Haughtily, with a distinctly regal air, Swanpaw straightened from her defensive crouch to look Phoenix in the eye. She refused to allow him to see any weakness on her part. She would not answer him.

Swanpaw wouldn't have minded seeing the tabby tom grow angry, or even uncomfortable. She wasn't _quite_ above enjoying insulting and injuring her enemies, especially when they had hurt her, and she had no doubt that he wasn't afraid to use his claws. Phoenix was the second to take her loyal Duckpaw away from her in only two nights, and she was far too selfish to forgive him. But Phoenix only smiled slightly, as if she had just passed some sort of test. Or as if she had played right into his paws. Somehow, Swanpaw found herself more afraid of him than ever.

"Well then," he purred, taking another step forward, "that's that. Since you won't tell me your real name, I suppose I'll have to give you one."

Considering, calculating, cold as the bitter frost of winter, he tilted his head to one side thoughtfully. His green eyes never leaving her—Swanpaw could almost feel his burning gaze—Phoenix began to circle her slowly.

Names gave you power. Knowing a cat's name gave you power over them. Allowing oneself to be given another name was to stay free and to still be trapped. Even knowing this, Swanpaw wouldn't break down—she had her pride, and she had her curiosity. The very vainest part of herself was curious to see just how the tom would choose to call her.

"You remind me of someone I knew a very long time ago," he murmured in her ear. "Why do you suppose that is?"

Clenching her teeth in an attempt to control herself, Swanpaw stepped away from Phoenix. Again, the rumbling purr-chuckle, but this time with a hint of sadness.

"Let's call you Rue, shall we?" he meowed. Steadily, the white she-cat held his amber gaze. Rue—it was a herb, one that stood for regret. She reminded Phoenix of someone he had once known...so the red-gold tabby regretted his actions, whatever they had been? For a moment, Swanpaw thought she could see past his emotionless amber eyes to his heart, which, perhaps, was devoid of love simply because he could not abide the pain of recollection. For a moment, she almost pitied him; he reminded her of Blackstar...and someone else as well. She couldn't quite put her paw on it, but his eyes...his pelt...

_Amberpaw?_

"So tell me, little Rue, what exactly were you doing in my city?"

City? Swanpaw's blue eyes registered confusion only for the tiniest portion of a second, but not only at the strange word. Phoenix looked so much like Amberpaw—why?

_I can't tell him. He isn't trustworthy._

"Why would I tell _you_?" she asked, tilting her head to one side. Mimicking Blackstar's regal air hadn't been easy at first, but she'd had moons of practice, and had mastered every haughty gesture; even the insolent smirk.

Phoenix's paw flicked out, faster than an adder. His claws slashed across her flank, sending her tumbling to the ground. Displeasure was evident in his cold, cruel eyes.

"Come come now, little Rue...you aren't such a flippant little she-cat that you've forgotten your friends already? You _did_ want them to live, didn't you? Or...are they your friends, truly? It didn't seem like they remembered you in the least...I could've sworn that they thought themselves better off without you."

Her confidence shattered, Swanpaw stared up at Phoenix in horror. _Better off without her?_

Had they really already forgotten her? How _could_ they?

"You're lying," she whispered. He had to be lying. Duckpaw cared—they'd been best friends since forever. Poppypaw cared—they were beginning to be friends. They _had_ to care.

They _had_ to.

"Yes, I suppose I am. It's true, that gangly gray fellow simply _wouldn't_ stop yowling at me—and I had a devil of a time getting all those kittens stop mewling. Have you ever tried to bribe a kitten while it's locked in a crate? Nearly impossible, I swear. Which of them would you like me to kill first if you misbehave?"

Dizzily, Swanpaw shook her head. She couldn't outwit Phoenix; she was already exhausted for trying. He was bigger, and stronger, and somehow, he knew every one of her weaknesses as well as she did. How did he do that? How could he just _know_?

"Who are you?" she hissed warily, glaring up at the enormous tom.

"Phoenix, leader of the city rogues. I take it that isn't quite what you meant, though. Keep in mind, Rue—the stubborner you choose to be, the more lives end tonight. And if you're lucky, you might even get to watch."

Swanpaw shuddered slightly. She felt cold in the moonlight. The floor was a safe place to look. No confusion with the ground. It was strange. Made of strips of trees.

At last, she looked up.

"If I tell you what you want to know," she mewed steadily, "than you have no reason to keep them alive."

"Quite right. However, if you tell me _nothing_, I have no choice but to decide who dies first," Phoenix replied with a sort of grim, half-mad cheer. Behind him, the shadows, and the shadows of other cats, other rogues, shifted, as if they were trying to frighten her into submission. Swanpaw wished she could step out of the light, and stop being _looked_ at by so many, _many_ prying eyes—but out of the light was death, for her and Duckpaw and everyone else.

Darkness had never meant death before. The shadows were comforting; they were her friends. The betrayal left the white with she-cat a hollow feeling inside. Her only comfort had been taken away, along with all of her defenses. Swanpaw slumped in defeat, her tail drooping like her spirit. She was just so tired...the last few days, the disastrous Gathering and the impossible quest were altogether too much for a cat with none to confide in.

"What is the first thing you remember?" asked the golden-ginger tabby. Confused, but obedient enough, Swanpaw tilted her head to one side as she considered the question, searching her mind for the answer.

"My father."

"Not your mother?"

"She's...gone. She's always been gone...because of me." Swanpaw straightened into a sitting position. She fiddled with the funny ground, clawing at it a little. The wood got stuck in her claws.

"Who is your father, then?"

The white apprentice shrugged slightly.

"He's Blackstar...He's always—sad. Disappointed, in me, I think. And himself. Because he never—never forgives himself, for anything. There's just so much blood, and sorrow, in his past, and he's all drenched in it, stained. Sometimes I hate him, because the blood's staining me too, and it's scary. My claws are black. Not because his claws are, but because his past is. And they'll never be white. Sometimes I think I'm insane, because there's no more monster in _him_; it's—it's in me now." She gazed at Phoenix desperately. He had to understand. She'd never told anyone else before. "And Blackstar...he won't forgive either of us. And until he lets me be _me_...I have to be the monster."

_And here I was thinking that I was the only one. Someone's broken another promise, Ghost—is it you?_

"You and me both," he meowed. "Of course, _I've_ learned to deal with it. And anyway, by the time you don't remember being real anymore, you just don't _care_."

Swanpaw shook her head violently.

"I don't want to be like that. I don't want to be like _you_. We're...different. I can be different."

"We'll see," he replied, an evil twinkle in his eyes that she didn't like. "And now, let the next question be asked. Your father means a lot to you, that's obvious. I expect the rest of the cats in your little community are of importance as well. So why did all of you kittens leave?"

Resisting an urge to snap that it was none of his business—after all, Phoenix had _made_ it his business—Swanpaw gave a few half-hearted licks to her flank.

"We were threatened of attack. The warriors decided that at least a few cats should survive, and sent all kittens old enough to walk away," she lied calmly. Being able to lie convincingly, with no tell-tale give-aways, was always a valued skill in Shadowclan. No matter how peaceful one was trying to be, there was no telling when spying might come in handy, and there were always cats outside of the clans to consider. Swanpaw was personally very glad that Ebonystreak had taught all of the apprentices to spin tales. Otherwise, she'd have been stuck with telling Phoenix the truth, and she hardly wanted to do _that_. He was a stranger, and he didn't care what he thought, but she didn't want him to think that much.

Phoenix didn't quite seem to be convinced by her half-truth. Narrowing his eyes, he stared at her long and hard before nodding in acceptance.

"Who's attacking?"

Internally, Swanpaw winced slightly. She really didn't want to tell him the names of any of the clans; it would raise too many questions. _But...Duckpaw..._

"Just...Other cats."

His claws lashed out, this time striking her muzzle. Swanpaw flinched, her ears flattening.

"The others. The other clans. There are many misunderstandings among us...it's pointless, but we never trust each other and that leads to a lot of wars. Shadowclan is trusted least of all, because...in the past... Much was made of a few little things that weren't _our_ fault and now...they're just sort of angry," she hedged. Admittedly, the other clans were more like full-fledged _furious_, and she herself wasn't _too_ pleased with their choice of accusations, but she had a quest to complete. She would show Firestar...

"Anything that would cause a war can't be that insignificant," hinted Phoenix, unsheathing his claws slightly.. Swanpaw wanted very badly to roll her eyes at his obviousness, but with a grudging respect for him, she merely flicked her tail in slight annoyance.

"Actually, you'd be surprised," she replied coolly. "We're all _very_ inclined to think everyone else is lying if they don't tell us what we consider to be the truth—even Blackstar."

Phoenix laughed; it was a cruel sound, empty, almost, but warm enough. Fiery.

"Your home sounds like the city. It's simply feline nature to fight until one's last breath—and yet, you and your Shadowclan don't want to give in to your nature. Why? Things are so much easier when you stop trying so hard..."

Visions of blood filled Swanpaw's head for a single giddy moment. Things had started out like that, with fighting and horror and nightmares. The clans had changed. Phoenix didn't seem to think that the Warrior Code was better—but how could he? He hadn't been raised to abide by the code. The only rule he followed was kill or be killed. The idea that someday that would be _her_ terrified Swanpaw. Slowly she turned her back on Phoenix, her haughty pride returning. He could slice her to ribbons if he liked, but she would mew for him no more. He had done nothing to earn her trust.

One thought lingered in her mind, one that troubled her, clouded her beautiful blue eyes.

_The only cat who can _truly_ understand me is the one who is my mortal enemy. Why must Starclan be so cruel?_

"Swanpaw?"

* * *

><p>Poppypaw winced slightly as she shifted her weight. Her soft, patchy fur was no protection from the splintered wooden floor.<p>

That fight had left her battered and bruised everywhere. She wasn't sure whether their attackers had been rogues or city cats, but then again, it didn't matter that much either. Or maybe it did. Poppypaw was rather confused, and couldn't quite seem to figure which it really was.

Slowly, slowly, the patchy-furred she-cat opened her eyes. Simultaneously, she tasted the air, which she choked on and coughed for several moments after. There had to be more dust than oxygen in the...crate? She scrambled to her paws carefully, avoiding the low wooden ceiling as best as she could. Her mind beginning to clear, Poppypaw wondered how she had gotten to the crate after she blacked out. The last thing she remembered before the confusion of the fight was a glimpse of an enormous city. It tainted the air for miles off with its acrid stench, which was enough to wrinkle anycat's nose with not only distaste, but disgust. Now, the bitter scent had been replaced with a musty smell that hinted at a long abandoned building.

Two pawsteps brought Poppypaw to the edge of her prison. Even with all of the cracks and chinks between the planks of the crate's walls, she doubted she was strong enough to free herself. It would take a cat far more powerful. Still...maybe if she just knew where the others were...

"Amberpaw?"

Poppypaw swished the soft tip of her tail against the opposite wall in agitation while she listened for the familiar mew. She didn't know what she would do if her dearest friend was gone...what if he had been injured, or died? He hadn't been talking to her. He might never talk to her again. Memories flooded Kathy's mind—memories of all the things she had done with Puss—she couldn't go on without him.

"Amberpaw? Anyone?"

Hearing a muffled groan on her left, Poppypaw pressed her ear against the wall eagerly, hoping to hear the ginger tom's voice a moment later.

"Poppypaw...Where are we? What—happened?" Owlpaw's voice caught slightly. He had obviously been hurt in the fight; the scent of his blood filled her nose. Anxiously, Poppypaw hoped that he would be okay. Whatever had happened to him? His gasp had sounded painful.

"I don't really know. A two-leg place. Can you smell anyone else? It's really dusty in here."

"Hold on a minute." Poppypaw heard a soft, shuffling sound as the gray tom shifted to his paws. Owlpaw's cautious sniff was followed by another sharp gasp of pain, but he said nothing of it to her. Shadowclan cats could be so stubborn...

"I think Duckpaw's on my other side. Duckpaw? Duckpaw, can you hear me?"

Poppypaw began carefully scratching at what looked like a weak spot in the wall, trying to create a peephole through which she could see Owlpaw. A moment later, something or somecat stirred, and Duckpaw jumped to his paws. Unfortunately, as he was rather larger and ganglier than Poppypaw or Owlpaw, he hit his head on the ceiling.

"Badgerbrains! Owlpaw, are you all right? I smell blood."

"Brother, brother, don't you know that my immense pride and infinite fighting skill don't allow me to answer that question at the moment? Besides, there's also always that excruciating pain which I happen to be in." Owlpaw's voice was light, but with every breath he drew, he seemed to flinch a little. Poppypaw felt like she should be ashamed to even feel the stinging of her scratches when the injured apprentice was trying so very hard.

"Owlpaw...you don't always have to—"

"Please just shut up for a minute, Duckpaw," snapped the lanky gray apprentice. He was still bleeding, scared, and in pain, which shortened his temper considerably. "Poppypaw's trying to talk to me."

"Owlpaw, who has the better nose of the two of you?" she mewed. Under normal circumstances, she would've relied on her own nose, but she seemed to have gotten the worst of the lot when it came to prison-crates.

"Despite my _amazingly_ gifted hunting prowess, I think we're about the same at tracking. I'll see if either of us can sniff out anyone else," he replied after only a little thought, though rather cheerfully for a cat who might or might not be mortally wounded. Duckpaw really was better with his nose, and his ears, and occasionally even his eyes, but Owlpaw liked to think that he was the better fighter. From his fuzzy recollection of the battle, he rather thought that perhaps he had been one of the last ones standing. It was a thought that he tucked away safely to admire on bright days when he couldn't sleep well. He might even acquire a few dashing new battlescars from his wounds.

"Owlpaw?" meowed Duckpaw, his voice unsure, hurt. The grey apprentice sighed. He could never fight long with his littermate; he already regretted hurting his sweet, gangly, lovable brother. And by the time the damage was done, Owlpaw didn't even remember why he had lashed out. He just...couldn't help it.

"Poppypaw thinks we should try to find the others. She's stuck somewhere dusty. Can you smell anything?" He kept his voice fairly cool, but friendly. It was the closest thing to an apology he ever gave to anyone other than Smokefoot, Blackstar, and..._possibly_ Marshstrike, if he was scary enough. Duckpaw would understand. Owlpaw liked being independent, but he knew to respect authority. He'd heard plenty of stories of the old days, back when Brokenstar had ruled with an iron paw over Shadowclan. Blackstar wasn't evil—probably—but Owlpaw liked to stay on his good side, just in case.

"Beneath me. I can hear someone whimpering beneath me. They're...afraid," meowed Duckpaw softly, "I can smell the fear, all around, but not the scent. It could be anybody." Hesitantly, Owlpaw's brother struck the bottom of his prison. "Hello? Is anyone there?"

"_Who are you? Where are they? Where has he taken them?_"

"I—I'm sorry, I don't know. My name is Duckpaw. Who's 'he?'"

"Owlpaw, I heard voices," mewed Poppypaw from the other side of his crate. "What's going on? Have you found anyone? Amberpaw?"

"Er—yeah. I mean, no. Duckpaw did find someone...not anyone we know, though. I guess we weren't the only ones taken prisoner by—whoever. Y'know."

"No surprises there," Poppypaw muttered. She sniffed a little, breathing shallowly to avoid the dust.

Or was that tight, constricted feeling in her throat worry for Amberpaw?

"_More_ new cats?" mewed a stranger. "Honestly, being actually noticed by Phoenix enough to be taken prisoner used to be an honor. He'll abduct anyone these days..."

"Shut up, Rivet. You wouldn't recognize honor if it clawed your ears off," snapped another cat, one with a rasping, kittenish voice. Immediately after, she coughed; Poppypaw recalled seeing the neighbors' cat getting a chest infection and eventually dying. He had sounded just like that...but he had been old, twelve at least. He'd accepted that it had been his time, and he had been at peace. This cat...this cat sounded so young.

Again, with the guilt and the doing nothing.

"Don't mind Contessa. She's been having trouble finding her kits...and her mind," mewed the sick cat. Poppypaw realized that they were above her. She was surrounded by crate after crate, every one of them full of cats who were wasting away in their prisons. How could cats do this to each other?

"What's your name?" she meowed in reply, curious.

"Silky. How long do you expect to die in here?"

"I dunno. I haven't got much time to spare..."

"You're literally dying, aren't you?" Gingerpaw's soft meow, a far cry from her normal sunny cheer, was sad.

"Poppypaw!"

"Gingerpaw! Owlpaw's hurt—"

"I try to avoid strangers who like pointing out my weaknesses," hissed Silky defensively. "I can take care of myself...sort of. I'm not a pathetic weakling."

"No, no, of course not—I might be able to help," offered Gingerpaw. "If we could just get out of here...and if I could find some plants that I know..."

"Poppypaw!"

"No one gets out of here," scoffed Rivet. "Not unless Phoenix decides to let them out, like that reddish kitten..."

"Amberpaw? Do you mean Amberpaw?" Poppypaw mewed excitedly.

"Poppypaw! Guess what? I think Duckpaw's being attacked by a raving loonybin! That, or she's still gnawing on the ceiling. It's actually really hard to tell with insane cats...You'd think it would be easier to tell."

"Can we escape now, Owlpaw?"

"Not yet, Duckpaw. She's still ignoring me."

"I don't know what his name was," meowed Rivet, "but he caused an enormous uproar. Even Coppelia was excited."

The grating noise of fangs on wood stopped.

"Has the lost one returned?" asked Contessa, sounding dreamy and wistful. "They promised that they would give them back...where are they? You mustn't break a promise, fire-bird...Mm...birdbaths cannot be trusted..."

"They said that Scorch has returned."

* * *

><p>Amberpaw slowly raised himself to his paws. Everything was blurry confusion in the darkness of slumber. Even the moonlight. Even pretty Swanpaw.<p>

"Swanpaw?" he meowed, blinking to clear his vision. The two fiery cats who were with her in the moonlight were strangers.

But...they were very..._familiar_ for strangers...The slight golden she-cat glanced at up at her mate excitedly.

"My son," she breathed, only just holding back from rushing to him.

"Welcome home, Scorch."

_What the—_

The frightening thing was not that Amberpaw was in a strange place, or that two strange cats had claimed him as their own—it was odd, how it was like he knew them.

What frightened him was that he began to remember.

And did he really want to become Scorch again?

* * *

><p><strong>Yay, cliffie!<strong>


	15. For all it's worth, friendship remains

**Sorry for the longish wait. R&R!**

Once again, Cheesypriestess doesn't own Warriors.

_It shouldn't be this way._

He sighed slightly, his eyes closed, listening to the wind ruffle his thick white fur. The delicate breeze sounded wistful, lonely, and bereft as it blew across the lake to whisper in his pricked ears.

_They shouldn't let this happen._

Slowly, Blackstar opened his golden eyes, gazing up at the waning moon. Silverpelt twinkled gently, brightly shining as if all was well in the world. Starclan certainly didn't seem to care whether Shadowclan died or not. Starclan didn't seem care that they were blameless now.

Perhaps the dead cats would even laugh as the elders and kits were sent by the claws of angry warriors to join their ranks.

Or would they?

Starclan had always seemed to favor the other clans more than Shadowclan. It was a fact that Blackstar resented, but he had always endured. He had a clan to lead, after all.

Perhaps Starclan would simply cast the spirits of Shadowclan out into the wilderness of the sky, to wander until they found themselves a resting place. For a moment, the six claws of his right forepaw flexed, digging into the sand.

_Why must my clan die?_

Lilywhisker's kits were less than a moon old. They hadn't even opened their eyes yet. Ebonystreak was hoping to retire to the elders' den with her mate soon. Lizardtail and Orchidheart—they had only just fallen in love.

_Is this your punishment for me? Destroying everything I have, everything I have made them at last? I thought you trusted me. I thought you had learned your lesson, as I have..._

_Was I wrong? Tell me, Starclan, was I wrong?_

The lake was beautiful, but it held no answers. His head drooping in despair, the angry, sad, and lonely white tom lay down in the sand by the lake's edge, tucking his black paws beneath him.

For countless seasons, after becoming leader of Shadowclan, Blackstar had tried to bring his clan out of the darkness of evil, and into the shadows of beauty instead. He had tried to convince the cats of Starclan to trust them, to shine on them. And he had watched as season after season, Firestar had been given everything, while he had almost nothing.

He was tired of Starclan's favoritism. This time, he would fight. It wasn't what he wanted, but it would have to do.

He wanted desperately to believe that the warriors who lived in the sky cared about his clan, even if it was a lie. He just wanted to sink into the darkness of his shadowy dreams forever, and join them, as they drifted through the stars, detached from the world of the living...

But that wasn't going to happen. It would be a long, long time before he joined Starclan—a day, at least. Halfheartedly, his whiskers twitched in amusement.

Blackstar smiled bitterly as he rose to his large, dark paws. His tail lashing in anger, a single paw scraping against the pale sand, the white tom allowed a low, furious hiss to escape his jaws, the only signal of his frustration. Quivering slightly, his head bowed under the weight of his responsibility for Shadowclan, Blackstar's eyes somehow fell on his own shadow. His black paws almost seemed to disappear into the dark silhouette, as if he was fading away, becoming nothing more than a ghost. But he wasn't a ghost, not anymore, not yet. He was a shadow.

Blackstar smiled again, but this time it was closer to a smirk than a snarl. Sand spraying from beneath his paws, he turned and leaped back into his forest, racing for the camp. The tree-striped moonlight turned his pelt to starlight, wind. Starclan had chosen their side for this battle, but the fight for Shadowclan was being fought elsewhere, far far away, where twelve kittens struggled to find the answers that would save them. Blackstar had had to let them go. Meanwhile, he was just trying to hold on, to help his clan cling to the lives they'd known for seasons.

The white tom skidded slightly on the pine needles; he bit back a hiss of annoyance as several of them caught beneath his claws. Despite himself, he paused to pull them out with his teeth. Scratches and bites were all very well, but when it came to pine needles...With only a grain of sand from the lakeshore and the hint of coppery blood remaining on his claws, Blackstar began moving again, his stride purposeful as always.

He had a plan.

No matter how empty he was inside...no matter how little he could bring himself to care, to hope...no matter how much any of it mattered in the end...there would always be a clan that needed him. And maybe, just maybe, if he could give them just enough inspiration, just enough hope...they might show Starclan that they weren't evil.

And if they didn't...if in the end, all of his trying and trying had been for nothing because no matter what, Shadowclan had been irredeemably drenched in the blood of a thousand cats and rejected by Starclan...if none of it mattered...

Than Shadowclan would perish.

"Blackstar," mewed Russetfur, her green eyes unusually warm. "You've returned." The small, dark ginger she-cat fell into step with him, quiet. _She_ hadn't given up hope yet...she still believed, even when all of their odds were against them. Perhaps that was enough.

All around, the preparations for battle were carrying on as Blackstar had ordered. The fallen boughs of pine trees were hardly enough to keep out invaders on their own, but with enough of the brush by the Thunderclan border, and enough brambles...

The white tom tensed slightly as Russetfur's tail brushed against his. A quick glance at her told him that it had been an accident; she wasn't even looking at him. She wasn't really looking at anything. The dark ginger she-cat's eyes were troubled and thoughtful. A ripple ran through her pelt, like a shudder, or a shiver, and her dark green eyes narrowed slightly, focusing on the world around her.

"Cold?"

Russetfur's slight jump of surprise startled him. Calmly, she turned her delicate face towards him, as unreadable as all Shadowcats' features were supposed to be.

"Not really."

The two cats settled themselves at the entrance to Blackstar's den, watching the camp. His camp. Their camp.

"Are you..._afraid_, Russetfur?"

It seemed that in all of the time he had known the slim red cat, ever since she had been the ambitious apprentice who watched him, Russetfur had never been afraid. Proud in the best sense, fearless, cold, secretive...rather like him. But fear had never been among her emotions...not the ones she allowed him to see, anyway.

"We all have our pride, Blackstar," the dark she-cat replied. "You know that—and me—better than any cat. My _pride_ ought to prevent me from telling you my less..._admirable_ feelings.. I should be as cold as winter snow right now...but...yes. Fear has gotten the best of me. A little. Not all of us have nine lives..."

"Not all of us should need them..."

"I...apologize." Russetfur's meow was stiff, hesitant, as if her tongue had never had to form the word before. "I meant no disrespect."

How strange. Russetfur was hardly capable of being apologetic. His whiskers twitching in amusement, the white tom glanced at his companion thoughtfully. She was a strange, funny she-cat...cold, beautiful...and the best of deputies. And as his deputy, she had become his best friend as well, at least as close as Littlecloud.

"Don't apologize, Russetfur. I expect you know how wrong that sounds. And anyway...aren't we friends?"

_Friends?_

_Yes, you silly, wonderful she-cat. Friends._

"Friends, Blackstar?" Russetfur mewed playfully. "Whatever _can_ you mean? Pray explain this—strange, no, _foreign_ custom to me. I'm only a Shadowcat, you know. It's not like we have feelings."

A cat who was less in control of his emotions might have laughed at her teasing questions. Blackstar, however, had had much practice at reining his thoughts in, and only smiled slightly.

"Indeed. The idea is strange to me also. However, from _much_, close, careful studying, I have come to the conclusion that friendship occurs between two cats, who...groom each other, talk—often, of course..."

"Organize hunting patrols when their leader sleeps past moonhigh?" she suggested. Solemnly, he nodded.

"Yes, Russetfur. Friends _do_ things for each other. They—_confide_ in one another. They enjoy each other's _company_..."

"And that's friendship, is it?" Russetfur meowed. She stared at the starry sky for several long, silent moments, quiet. The slight, gentle wind seemed to have followed him from the lake just to ruffle his and Russetfur's pelts again; it blew away whatever murmured meows the cats of Shadowclan exchanged while they barricaded the camp.

"Very well, Blackstar. We shall be friends. The very _bestest_ of friends."

"Forever?"

"So your..._studies_ indicate, I suppose. Forever, than."

"I would say that this is excellent, Russetfur, but I believe the 'paws say 'mousey' nowadays."

"If you are my friend, you will not force me to meow that."

"Then it appears our friendship must overcome its first trial; I have _every_ intention of hearing you say mousey. Please—"

"No!" The dark ginger cat kept her voice low, her exclamation bordering on a hiss. Neither of them really wanted to attract the attention of Smokefoot, Shadeclaw, or Applenose.

"A leader's word is law, Russetfur; you know that. I don't want to have to force you...much. Mousey please with a berry on top?"

"Blackstar..." Russetfur backed away from him a couple of steps, into the shadows of his den. She was half exasperated, half irrationally terrified lest her 'bestest' friend catch her and make her meow mousey, and she was completely determined _not_ to give in.

"Say it!"

Blackstar pounced on his little deputy friend, pinning her down with a single enormous paw. Russetfur gave a slight shiver as she stared at his face, his aristocratic, dramatic, white-furred face.

"Don't make me, please," she whispered. A little of the mischief left Blackstar's golden eyes as he gazed at her thoughtfully. At last, he released her, lifting his six-clawed paw from her fur. Shamed, almost, he took a single, _tiny_ step back, contrite.

"I suppose," he meowed as the red she-cat scrambled to her paws, "that that would not be what friends do." Russetfur had never appreciated being teased. Blackstar had no idea how he had forgotten...Not after the first time he'd met her.

"No, it wouldn't."

"But they confide in each other. And I have a plan that I would like—very much—to confide...in _you_."

Even in the deep, midnight darkness of the leader's den, Blackstar thought he could see Russetfur's dark green eyes light up.

"What else are friends for?"

**Think how sad I'll be if you don't review...**


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